Best’s Winery managing director Ben Thomson is a Viticulturist of the Year finalist in the Halliday Wine Companion awards.

Another Great Western winery, Black and Ginger, is also a finalist at the awards – in the Dark Horse Winery category, awarded to wineries that are ‘not as commonly talked about as they should be, yet are wildly deserving of recognition’, often ‘regional hidden gems, the true underdogs’, as nominated by Halliday’s Tasting Team.

Halliday says Black and Ginger – by Hadyn and Lucy Black and business partner Darcy Naunton – were finalists due to being ‘undoubtedly one the most exciting and adventurous young wine producers in the state’. 

For Mr Thomson, the viticulturist award acknowledges the ‘tremendous skill of the viticulturist; as custodians of vine and soil, their job is to produce optimal fruit regardless of the vintage conditions’.

“Ben Thomson is a constant feature out in the vineyard and has been for more than 40 years. This is not to suggest that he is removed from the winemaking process, far from it,” Halliday’s tasting team member Jeni Port said.

“Ensuring the continuing longevity of old vines as they become centenarians and ancestor wines – among the oldest producing vines in the world – is no easy task.” 

Winners will be announced at the 2027 Halliday Wine Companion Awards today, Wednesday.

Best’s Winery is steeped in tradition – this year celebrating 160 years – but also embraces innovation, recognised in Mr Thomson’s role in trialling new technology including  UVC light trials and autonomous vehicles at their Great Western vineyards. 

“We’ve never been afraid to take risks or try new things, and it’s served us well, through good times and the tougher years,” Mr Thomson said.

“You have to make wine from the heart to continue for five generations. 

“We are committed to remaining customer focused, innovative and ensuring our brand thrives for many years to come.” 

To mark its milestone, the family-
owned winery has launched its ‘160 Years Poured In’ campaign, inviting wine-lovers to share their own Best’s memories online or at the cellar door. 

Mr Thomson said while Best’s longevity was remarkable, with five generations of family history and some of the oldest pre-phylloxera vines in the world, it was the people and their memories that made the family most proud. 

“Best’s wine is poured into 160 years of Australian life – into celebrations, farewells, first dinners, long lunches, quiet evenings. Every bottle that has ever left Great Western has been poured into a moment that mattered to someone,” he said.

“We’d love to hear what some of these were for nostalgic reasons. 

“The stories shared so far, from the trade, wine lovers, and local community have been humbling and so amazing.” 

The winery’s history began in 1866, when Henry Best first recognised the potential of the Great Western region for making wine, planting the vines by hand in 1868.

In 1920, the Thomson family became custodians of Best’s, a family that had already established their own winery in Great Western back in 1893. 

Members of the public and the wine trade are invited to share their own Best’s story at bestswines.com/160-years-poured-in-share-your-story/ or in person at the cellar door. 

– Lauren Henry

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