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2026 AUSTRALIAN CIDER AWARDS RESults
Cider Australia announced the winners of the 2026 Australian Cider Awards at a gala dinner in Sydney on 15th October.
After a wonderful evening of celebration at Rydges World Square, Sydney, the winners of this year’s Australian Cider Awards have been named and have gone home with smiles on their faces and shiny new trophies for their cellar door shelves!
The 2026 Australian Cider Awards is Australia’s largest and most prestigious cider competition, and we are proud to honour the best ciders in Australia.
A big thank you also to Lee Reeve and Max Allen, our wonderful hosts. It’s been an absolute pleasure having them both be a part of our awards events this year. Their enthusiasm for all things cider is inspiring and we hope to all continue working together to bring cider the attention it deserves.
Victorian producer Flying Brick Cider Co was awarded Best in Show with MC Cider 2018.
2026 Trophy winners:
BEST IN SHOW – MC CIDER 2018
FLYING BRICK CIDER CO, VIC, AUSTRALIA 94PTS
BEST NEW WORLD CIDER – FEMME FATALE ROSÉ CIDER 2026
SMALL ACRES CYDER, NSW, AUSTRALIA 94PTS
BEST TRADITIONAL CIDER – MC CIDER 2018
FLYING BRICK CIDER CO, VIC, AUSTRALIA 94PTS
BEST PERRY – WILLIAM PEAR CIDER
THE APPLE THIEF, NSW, AUSTRALIA 91PTS
BEST SPECIALTY CIDER OR PERRY – SOUR CHERRY
SPREYTON CIDER CO, TAS, AUSTRALIA 94PTS
BEST INTENSIFIED / DISTILLED CIDER OR PERRY – APPLE BRANDY CLASSIC
WILLIE SMITH’S, TAS, AUSTRALIA 93PTS
BEST AUSTRALIAN CIDER OR PERRY – MC CIDER 2018
FLYING BRICK CIDER CO, VIC, AUSTRALIA 94PTS
MOST SUCCESSFUL SMALL PRODUCER
LENSWOOD CIDER, VIC, AUSTRALIA
MOST SUCCESSFUL LARGER PRODUCER
WILLIE SMITH’S TASMANIAN CIDER, TAS, AUSTRALIA
BEST SINGLE VARIETAL CIDER – David Pickering Memorial Trophy - FEMME FATALE ROSÉ CIDER 2026
SMALL ACRES CYDER, NSW, AUSTRALIA
* Note that international ‘guest’ entries are only eligible for the Best International Cider or Perry Trophy.
For a complete list of award and medal winners, download the
2026 Australian Cider Awards Results Booklet
Media enquiries
Contact Cider Australia executive officer Rosie Zollinger on 0427 566 607 rosie@cideraustralia.org.au
or visit www.cideraustralia.org.au
About Cider Australia
Cider Australia is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established in 2012 and funded by cider businesses and sponsors. It aims to build a sustainable cider category by undertaking activities that improve the quality of ciders produced and marketed in Australia. The organisation represents the interests of the cider industry to policymakers, calling for regulations and policies that support a diverse and evolving cider industry, and runs the national cider conference, AusCider, and the Australian Cider Awards.
About the Awards
The 15th annual Australian Cider Awards were held in October 2026. The Awards are the largest cider competition in Australia and are leading the standardisation and improvement of cider judging across Australia. Judging of the Awards is held at the William Angliss Institute in Melbourne. The panel comprises judges with vast expertise from across the alcoholic beverage industry. This year a field of 173 local and international entries was judged by a highly skilled, diverse panel of nine judges, led by chair Max Allen.
JUDGES
The judging panel included expertise from across the alcoholic beverage industry:
Max Allen (Chair) (Wine & Drinks Writer)
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Tim Jones (Panel Chair) (Wild Mother) |
Vanessa Altman (Panel Chair) (Hills Cider) Patrick Gardner (Kilchurn Wines) Norman Lever (Bellevue Orchards) |
ASSOCIATE JUDGES
Katrina Vasquez (Dan Murphy’s), Marianne Smith (Lang Lang Cider Co)
Rotating panel: Jo-Anne Fahey, Adam Galle, Mark Ellis, Tatania King, Nick Geoghaegan, Simon Frost
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