Congratulations to Nadja Wallington and Steve Mobbs of ChaLou Wines, Orange on their win.
Halliday Wine Companion has announced its highly anticipated award winners for the year, with the award for Dark Horse Winery going to ChaLou Wines, Orange.
ChaLou Wines is a collaboration between winemakers Nadja Wallington (formerly of Canowindra) and partner Steve Mobbs.
“We feel incredibly humble to have received this award,” said Nadja.
Celebrating the very best in Australian wine, the coveted 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Awards recognise the nation’s top wines, winemakers, viticulturists and wineries.
Hosted at Ormond Hall, part of Melbourne’s iconic The Commons Collective, the Awards ceremony featured a first look at the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion and revealed winners across seven major categories including Wine of the Year, Winery of the Year, Winemaker of the Year, Viticulturist of the Year, Best New Winery, Dark Horse Winery, and Best Value Winery.
The Halliday Wine Companion Award winners were determined collaboratively by the Halliday Tasting Team, including chief editor Campbell Mattinson, Dave Brookes, Jane Faulkner, Jeni Port, Marcus Ellis, Mike Bennie, Philip Rich, Shanteh Wale, and Toni Paterson MW.
“We’re delighted to announce the 2025 Award winners and extend our congratulations to each of them. We’re blown away by the quality of this year’s winners and tonight we celebrate the strength and perseverance of the Australian wine industry with winners representing regions from across the country,” said Halliday Wine Companion’s Head of Tasting, Katrina Butler.
Located just 15 minutes east of Orange the ChaLou vineyard sits at 900m above sea level. Varieties include Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Shiraz, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Arneis. ChaLou have three unique labels of wine – ChaLou Estate, The Somm & The Winemaker and Dreaded Friend. To find out more go to www.chalouwines.com.au