It's the day winemakers love and dread in equal measure - the day James Halliday releases his wine ratings in his annual book, the Halliday Wine Companion.
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Make no mistake, a bad review of two can hurt a winery's bottom line.
This year 20 Hunter wineries received the prestigious five red stars - for 'regularly producing wines of exemplary quality' - with Brokenwood, Lake's Folly, Meerea Park, Tyrrell's, Thomas Wines and Mount Pleasant also acknowledged for their long track record of excellence.
The Hunter continued its domination of semillon, with 13 of the top 14 semillons in Australia made locally including five wines in equal top spot with 97 points - from Brokenwood (two), First Creek, Tyrrell's and Meerea Park.
The Hunter also scored five of the top 20 shiraz with Brokenwood Graveyard in equal top spot with 99 points, with Glenguin and Mount Pleasant a point further back.
Lake's Folly shared top spot in the cabernet family category, with its 2017 vintage scoring 98 points.
