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BAROSSA, SA – Belinda van Eyssen, winemaker and co-founder of The Cutting, has been named the 2026 Winemaker of the Year by the prestigious Barons of Barossa. The announcement was made at the Declaration of Vintage ceremony in Tanunda, Barossa , South Australia, on Sunday, 15 February 2026.
The Winemaker of the Year award, presented annually by the Barons of Barossa since 1988, recognises winemakers who have made outstanding contributions to the Barossa wine community through excellence in winemaking, dedication to the region, and generous sharing of knowledge.
“This recognition is deeply meaningful to me. Making wine in the Barossa, a region I once benchmarked from the other side of the world, is a privilege I don’t take lightly. This award reflects not just my story, but the support of this incredible community, my family, my husband Daniel and our two young sons, Thomas and Luca.
“My grandmother picked grapes for others. My mother, too. Today, I make wine as a named winemaker in the Barossa Valley,” said van Eyssen. “This award honours every woman in my family who worked vineyards but never got recognised for it. It reminds me why breaking down barriers in this industry matters.”
After studying food technology in Cape Town, she transitioned to winemaking in post-apartheid South Africa, becoming one of only a few Indigenous female winemakers in the country. In a full circle moment, she began her career at a winery where her grandmother had worked as a labourer for the original farm owners decades earlier.
Her winemaking journey took her from the Western Cape to Sonoma, Bordeaux, the Douro Valley and Marlborough, regions where Barossa wines served as benchmarks for quality. Relocating to Australia in 2010 meant starting over, drawing on the determination and resilience her parents instilled in her. They raised four children under apartheid, yet taught them to believe they could achieve anything.
After working across various Australian wine regions, van Eyssen began making wine from Rod and Judy McDonald’s Stone Well vineyard in 2014. In 2018, she and her husband, viticulturist Daniel, founded The Cutting on the family vineyard, putting their own fingerprint on Barossa winemaking with varieties including Shiraz, Grenache, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc.
Since then, The Cutting has earned critical acclaim: Their first trophy came at the 2019 Marananga Wine Show for their Stonewell Shiraz. The accolades have continued: Most recently, their Cinsault won Best Varietal Red at the Marananga Wine Show, a first for both the variety and the region. Their 2022 and 2023 Shiraz vintages each earned 97 Decanter points. The winery specialises in Shiraz, Grenache, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc, varieties selected for their drought tolerance and suitability to the region’s changing climate.
van Eyssen respectfully acknowledges the Ngadjuri people as the traditional custodians of the land on which she makes wine. At The Cutting, she and Daniel care for the land with intention through native plantings and regenerating native grasses, treading lightly and taking only what they need.
Her commitment to the Barossa community includes five years of service on the Marananga Wine Show committee, three years on the Barossa Wine Show committee, and her recent appointment as an Associate Judge at the Barossa Wine Show. She is also an active member of the Seppeltsfield Road Business Alliance. A graduate of the Wine Australia Future Leaders program and a passionate advocate for diversity within the wine industry, van Eyssen is committed to making wine accessible to all.
van Eyssen is excited about an evolution of styles unfolding in the Barossa, where alternative varieties and expressions co-exist beautifully alongside the region’s iconic Shiraz.
Founded in 1975, the Barons of Barossa are independent custodians of the region’s wine heritage, dedicated to protecting and promoting Barossa as one of the world’s great wine regions. Made up of grape growers, winemakers, industry and community leaders, they support the region’s future through education, scholarships and viticultural initiatives, host the annual Declaration of Vintage and oversee The Barossa Cellar, Australia’s only regional wine museum, preserving rare wines and Barossa’s history for generations to come. Credit: www.barossa.com
The Cutting is a boutique Barossa Valley winery founded in 2018 by Belinda van Eyssen and Daniel McDonald. Located on a family vineyard, The Cutting produces distinctive award-winning wines from varieties including Shiraz, Grenache, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc, with a focus on freshness and vibrancy that showcase the diversity of the Barossa. The winery is committed to sustainable practices and respectful stewardship of the land.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Belinda van Eyssen
The Cutting
Email: info@the-cutting.com.au
Phone: +61 467 596 340
Website: www.the-cutting.com.au
