Best's Great Western

Best's Great Western is an Australian wine producer based in Victoria's Great Western region. The estate's first vineyard, Concongella, was established in 1866 and is the source of its flagship wine – the Thomson Family Shiraz, named for its current proprietors. The inaugural vintage was first released in 1993 to celebrate the Thomson family's 100 year history of winemaking in Great Western, which began with the purchase of a winery at Rhymney.

The estate is named for Henry Best, who founded the Concongella vineyard. Best's was one of the first Australian wine companies to be registered as a trademark in 1907. Henry Best passed away in 1913, and the estate was acquired by William Thomson and his son Frederick Pinchon in 1920. The Thomson family owns and operates Best's today.

Best's Winery comprises two vineyard sites in Great Western: the original Concongella and Salvation Hills, in Rhymney. These vineyards are planted with grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the estate's iconic Shiraz. The older vines on the estate are as much as 140 years old, and are planted on soils of powdery loam that overlay a deep clay subsoil. The vineyards are particularly well-suited to the growing of later ripening red grape varieties, such as Shiraz, and experience a Mediterranean-like climate.

The Thomson Family Shiraz is a single-vineyard wine made from 15 rows of the original Shiraz vines planted by Henry Best in 1868. These historic vines are low-yielding and are harvested, selected and sorted by hand. The wine is only made in the best vintage years with approximately 300 cases produced each time.