Amanda Yallop, Bennelong general manager and Fink Group wine director, has become the first woman inducted into Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards Hall of Fame. The 2026 honour makes her only the third individual recognised in the programme’s 33-year history.
Sydney: the award organiser’s announcement places the ceremony at NSW Parliament House on 28 September 2026.
Amanda Yallop joins a select group
Yallop joins David Lawler, inducted in 2018, and Franck Moreau MS, recognised in 2014. The individual honour is awarded periodically for contributions to wine education, fine-wine service and the quality of wine lists across Australian hospitality and tourism.
That individual recognition sits alongside a separate Hall of Fame for venues. Restaurants and other establishments qualify through specified award wins and must maintain their glass rating. Yallop’s induction recognises her professional contribution, rather than a single restaurant’s annual result.
In OTTO Brisbane’s announcement, she acknowledged the colleagues who had supported her career: “I made it here thanks to the women and men who helped me on my way.”
From the dining room to group leadership
According to Bennelong’s official biography, Yallop developed her interest in wine while living in the UK during the 1990s. She returned to Australia and began formal study in Sydney in 2000.
She joined Fink in 2006 as a line sommelier at Quay and progressed to wine director across the group. In 2026, she also became general manager of Bennelong, retaining her wine director responsibilities. Those existing roles provide the background to the award.
Her professional development includes the 2013 Len Evans Tutorial, the Australian Wine Research Institute’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course and a WSET Diploma. Bennelong also lists judging work at Australian wine competitions, the Decanter awards and the Ruinart Challenge.
Earlier recognition includes Gault & Millau Sommelier of the Year in 2016. Bennelong’s biography records a Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year award and her appointment as a Maison Krug Ambassade in 2025.
Recognition across the Fink wine programme
OTTO Brisbane also won Best Wine List Queensland at the 2026 awards. The organiser’s published assessment lists Yallop as its sommelier and records a 400-wine selection, including 35 wines by the glass.
The judges highlighted an Italian focus, including Piedmont, Tuscany and Sicily, alongside Champagne, Burgundy and Australian producers. Their assessment also noted the range of price points and an arrangement by grape variety that helps guests navigate the list.
The wider awards assess lists against content, balance, suitability for the venue, presentation and pricing. Entries are reviewed independently and confidentially, with glass ratings identifying recommended, excellent or outstanding lists. The assessment therefore considers how a wine offer works for its setting, alongside the bottles selected.
Bennelong has its own place in the venue Hall of Fame. The organiser’s current register records its Best Listing of Australian Wines wins in 2020, 2021 and 2022. These venue honours offer context for Yallop’s work while remaining distinct from her individual award.
Making wine careers more visible
Yallop’s wider industry work also includes serving as country ambassador and chair judge for the inaugural Australian Top 100 Sommeliers in 2026. Organiser Sommelier Edit describes an assessment covering knowledge, responsibility, experience, customer service and competition achievements.
Its criteria include cellar management, wine buying, list curation and staff management. That breadth is relevant to hospitality employers: sommelier development involves operational and people responsibilities alongside tasting expertise and qualifications.
Yallop’s progression from a restaurant sommelier role to group wine leadership and general management illustrates one route through those responsibilities. Her Hall of Fame recognition, awarded in September, places a further spotlight on the education and service work behind a wine programme.
Related reading: early careers and progression in hospitality and Kerzner’s food and beverage leadership role.
