Best's Wines - Great Western

19/06/2026

Nicole Thomson and the Best’s team look forward to seeing you in Ballarat for The Red Series July 17th - 18th- tickets on sale now!

MEET THE MAKERS: If you’re lucky enough to be a member of Best's Wines - Great Western's wine club, you’ve probably heard from this brilliant lady - Nicole Thomson.

Nicole started working at Best’s fifteen years ago and has loved her job from day one. She is now literally married to it having tied the knot with Best’s Wines Managing Director (and fifth generation custodian) Ben Thomson in 2019.

Come meet Nicole and the Best’s team at Red Series this year and taste their museum Shiraz during Saturday’s Masterclass – made from some the oldest and rarest vines in the world.

https://events.humanitix.com/red-series-2026

17/06/2026

How to celebrate 160 years of Best’s? A relaxed lunch in the winery for local VIPs and Club Members, hosted by the entire Thomson family – Viv and Christine, with their children, Yvette, Marcus, Ben and Hamish!

The casual lunch reflected the friendly down-to-earth approach the family is renowned for. As Nicole Thomson commented, “it was like a massively extended family-dinner".

Thanks to everyone for attending and special thanks to Karen Hyslop, Northern Grampians Shire Mayor.

15/06/2026

When you’re working on the land there’s always something that Mother Nature throws at us to contend with. The Great Concongella flood of January 1946 was no different – the vineyards underwater from rising waters of the Concongella Creek.

We don’t have much about this occurrence on record other than this photo? Do any of you recall this event?

12/06/2026

Best’s Wines: 160 Years

As Best’s celebrates a 160-year milestone, we share the story of the period in our history from 1920 to 1969, when second -generation Frederick and his son, Eric Thomson, took charge.

Have a read of the latest chapter in our series…

https://bestswines.com/160th-anniversary-series-part-two/

06/06/2026

The Thomson family has always been intrigued about how we improve the quality of our wines. From early days of the 1888 Great Centennial Exhibition, Best’s wines have been entered into Australian and international wine shows to benchmark against our peers.

We love this older photo of Bill Thomson (Viv’s Uncle), and Frederick Thomson (Viv’s Dad) and Frederick P Thomson (Viv’s Grandfather) tasting wines at a Melbourne Wine show c 1947.

05/06/2026

NEW: 2024 BEST’S MERLOT

Our thirteen-acre vineyard sits alongside our historic Dolcetto and Nursery Block at Best’s Concongella. You may have seen it on the left as you’ve entered the drive up to our cellar door and winery?

It’s a special block, a real mix of the three main varieties of Bordeaux - Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each one of these varieties we pick selectively, then ferment and mature all separately. A lot of time and effort is put into picking at the perfect time for each variety.

Planted between 1982 – 1984, it’s a vineyard that contributes to several of our wines. When we saw a special parcel of the Merlot in 2024 it was so bright and distinctive, we decided not to blend it this time. This wine is only produced in exceptional years with the last bottling being back in 2006.

This 2024 Best’s Merlot is juicy, concentrated and complex, making it irresistible now or rewarding later with age.

Available for a limited time.

https://www.bestswines.com/product/2024-merlot

04/06/2026

We recently hosted some of the Halliday Wine Companion team at Best’s as they spent some time in the Grampians for the 2026 Grape Escape. It’s always wonderful to show some of our best-kept winery secrets, including a tour through our underground cellars.

Have a read of their guide of how to spend 48 hours in the Grampians region ->

https://winecompanion.com.au/articles/travel/48-hours-in-the-grampians

📸 Katrina Butler and Anna Webster - writer

03/06/2026

The Wine Communicators of Australia Inc Mentor Program aims to support and inspire the future generations of wine industry professionals by tapping into the experiences and insights from the best in their field.

We’re thrilled to announce that our winemaker Jacob and DTC Marketing Executive Jade have both been selected for this year’s 2026 program. Congratulations to you both on this wonderful achievement. We are sure there will be much that you take away from this incredible experience.

Wine Australia Adelaide University WISA - Wine Industry Suppliers Association Inc.

02/06/2026

Planning for the Kings Birthday Long Weekend? If you’re heading to the Grampians, you’ve found the place to visit!

There’s something for all to discover.

Cost: $10 or $15 wine tasting

Saturday 6th June Open 10am – 5pm Long Weekend Tastings + Platters

Sunday 7th June Open 11am – 4pm Long Weekend tastings + Platters

Monday 8th June open 11am – 4pm

If you are travelling with children or adults not intending to drink, please specify this in the booking notes. Bookings take priority over walk ins and we do recommend making a booking in advance to make sure we can hold you a table.

Book a tasting here -> https://bestswines.com/visit/cellar-door/long-weekend/

30/05/2026

A SPARKLING VISION 🍾

Eric Thomson was a quietly determined man, having watched the Great Depression nearly cost the family everything. He had noticed that when offered a glass of vineyard wine on warm days, visitors would often add a splash of soda water or lemonade. Seeing an opportunity, he took a cask of dry red wine to a soft drink maker in Callawadda, a small town not far from Stawell, and together they bottled a light, aerated wine he called Claretta.

It proved popular, and with it came a simple but powerful idea: wine didn't need to be expensive just because it sparkled. Best's Great Western Claretta was born in 1939.

From there, the range grew - Golden Vintage, Pink Cham, Special Reserve Sparkling Burgundy and the famous Baby Bubblies - all carbonated, affordable and widely loved right through to the 1960s. The idea of visiting a winery to taste wines may seem unremarkable today, but in the late 1950s, wine tourism was virtually unheard of. This inventive sparkling range, alongside the Hocks and Clarets being produced at the time, kept Best's firmly on the radar of wine lovers across Australia.