After more than 25-thousand votes WA doesn’t have one favourite wine, it has two. Cowaramup’s LS Merchants Butter Barrels Chardonnay and Pemberton’s Ampersand Estates Pinot Noir could not be separated, receiving the same number of winning votes in the 2026 Top Up Wines People’s Choice Wine Awards.

Top Up Wines throws it over to wine lovers to decide the state’s favourite drops of the last year. In just its second year, more than 25-thousand votes were cast online for over 1000 local wines. Joint winners LS Merchants Butter Barrels Chardonnay and Ampersand Estates Pinot Noir edged out Pemberley of Pemberley Pinot Noir, Stella Bella Cabernet Merlot and Cullen Diana Madeline.

Top Up Wines founder Jamie Burnett says the second edition of the awards raised the stakes.

“When I saw the results, I couldn’t believe it. I checked and re-checked a dozen times, but the numbers were spot on. To have more than 25-thousand votes and two wines taking it out in a dead heat is extraordinary. It really shows that anything can happen when you throw it over to the people,” says Jamie.

The online votes not only name WA’s favourite wine but are collated to form the Top Up Wines Top 100. Digging into the numbers also highlights some interesting trends.

  • Wineries LS Merchants, Stella Bella, Swings & Roundabouts and Cherubino landed the most drops on the list with five, followed by Howard Park on four.
  • Western Australia loves Chardonnay! 29 chardonnays placed in the top 100 making it the most voted for wine style. It was followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (15) and Pinot Noir (9).
  • Margaret River led the way with 62 wines placing in the top 100. Meanwhile, the Great Southern punched above its weight with 30 wines from the region making the list.

Jamie Burnett says that the idea behind Top Up Wines is to throw it over to the people, rather than the judges.

“While it’s great to award the title of WA’s favourite wines, Top Up is about far more than that. It’s about giving wine lovers a voice and shining a light on the local industry. Every other wine award in the country is decided by the experts, Top Up throws it over to the people. That means it’s real, authentic and full of surprises. Scrolling through the Top 100, I’m struck by how many amazing WA wineries we have on our doorstep. It really highlights their hard work and how lucky we are,” says Jamie.

Founded in 2025, Top Up Wines is the only People’s Choice Wine Award in the country. Along with Jamie Burnett, Top Up Wines was brought to life by industry veteran Scott Spalding and former AFL premiership player turned wine aficionado Chris Masten.

“I loved Top Up was focussed on people. That’s what wine is all about, celebrating good times with good wines. You don’t have to be an expert, you just have to like what you like. This public vote leaned right into that and the results have surprised many across industry,” says Chris.

Last year, Ampersand Pinot Noir took out the title as WA’s favourite wine, meaning it’s gone back-to-back. Proudly supported by Cellarbrations, the results were announced at a sold-out event at Urban Winery Fremantle.