Little-known WA winery Singlefile on podium with Penfolds Singlefile winery in Denmark was declared Dark Horse of the Year in the inaugural Australian Wine Companion Awards. A WEST Australian winery run by a banker and a naturopath has been named alongside Penfolds as one of the top four performers in the country. Denmark-based winemaker, Singlefile Wines was declared Dark Horse of the Year by revered critic, James Halliday, in his inaugural Australian Wine Companion Awards. The winery is a relative unknown that produced its first vintage in 2009. Its CEO, Patrick Corbett, who left behind a career in banking and finance, says he's overwhelmed at the national recognition. "To be singled out, when I think about what James does and the number of wines he tastes, is a huge surprise," he says. It's fantastic recognition, and gives us a lot of confidence that we're on the right track. The awards, presented in Melbourne on Wednesday night, celebrated four star performers who stood out from the 1396 wines Halliday sampled for his annual guide, Australian Wine Companion, which comes out on Thursday. Guests, including TV personality Daryl Somers and former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett, watched as Wine of the Year was awarded to Bass Phillip for its 2010 reserve pinot noir, Winery of the Year went to Barossa Valley great, Penfolds and Rob Dolan Wines was named New Winery of the Year. Singlefile produces only 5000 cases a year and sources most of its grapes from the Great Southern, which is emerging as a rival region to Margaret River. It's run by Corbett and his wife, Pam Snowden, a naturopath, and her parents, who are both geologists. Halliday lists 10 Dark Horses in his wine guide each year, but had never before singled out the best of the best. "Singlefile was head and shoulders ahead of the others," says Halliday, who also commended the good value and diversity of styles offered by the winery. He says he came up with the Dark Horse category after wanting to throw a spotlight on emerging talent. "When doing all the ghastly writing and reading through the manuscript, wineries would leap out at me and I'd think, "gee, I think this is the first time that winery has done this well." It was out of that desire to give a bit of airplay to producers that had done really well in the past 12 month period. Those eligible for inclusion in the Dark Horse list are limited to those who have not previously achieved a 5 star rating in Halliday's guide. Halliday also announced a number of varietal awards. Another Great Southern wine, Castle Rock Estate's 2011 A&W reserve riesling was awarded for earning 97 points. Voyager Estate's 2009 cabernet sauvignon merlot earned the same ranking.