Wines of the Year 2024: Australia, New Zealand & South Africa

Decanter’s expert writers and contributors awarded 95-points or more to almost 3,000 wines in the 12 months to October 2024.

While they have all appeared in the pages of Decanter magazine and online on Decanter Premium and in our decanter.com database, there were too many to reproduce here for a seasonal wrap-up.

So, in a somewhat unfair and very challenging task, we asked each of our Regional Editors to select just five wines from each of their key areas of expertise to highlight the bounty and diversity on offer across the world wine map.

Scroll down for notes and scores of the Australian, New Zealand and South African Wines of the Year 2024

For Decanter’s inaugural New Zealand Pinot Noir vintage report, Emma Jenkins MW tasted 240 wines – a showcase of the value, quality and drinking pleasure this category offers.

Several producers stood out – including Bell Hill, Escarpment, Felton Road, Prophet’s Rock and Rippon – but it was Ata Rangi that scooped two top spots, its Kotinga cuvée seducing with its charm, vibrancy and immediacy.

In another first, our Margaret River vintage report by Cassandra Charlick (August 2024 issue) highlighted the excellent 2022 Chardonnay and more challenging 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon vintages.

In the former, Vanya Cullen’s Kevin John was one of several standout wines.

From South Australia, Penfolds’ Bin 169 2021 made a splash in La Place de Bordeaux’s March releases. It trumped stablemates Bin 707 and Grange, thanks to offering great comparative value in a near-perfect Coonawarra vintage.

A feather in the cap for Yalumba in its 175th anniversary year, the Octavius 2018 from 100-year-old Barossa Shiraz vines also impressed with its fruit purity and refinement; evidence of the changing face of this iconic regional style.

And from South Africa, Creation won plaudits for its Art of Chardonnay. Alongside Hamilton Russell, Newton Johnson and Crystallum, it proves why Hemel-en-Aarde, one of the world’s most southerly wine-producing regions, should be on the radar for all Burgundy lovers.

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See further analysis and top-scoring wines of the following areas:

Bordeaux & Burgundy | Champagne, Rhône and regional France | Italy | Spain & Portugal | The US | South America | Rest of the World

Wines of the Year 2024: Australia, New Zealand & South Africa

Wines are listed white then red, in score order

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