While the thought of a bottle of Penfolds Grange may now leave a bitter taste in the mouth of former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell, a new list ranking Australia’s best drops has given the wine top billing.

Online wine marketer Langton’s has released its sixth classification of local wines which includes 139 of the country’s best performing and most prized labels.

The list includes 21 wines ranked exceptional including Grange, Henschke’s Hill of Grace Shiraz, Jim Barry’s The Armagh Shiraz and the John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon from Wynns Coonawarra Estate.

Other wines included in the classification are listed as outstanding or excellent.

Penfolds Grange has long been renowned as a great drop, and made headlines last month when Mr O’Farrell was forced to resign as NSW premier after misleading a corruption inquiry about whether he received a 1959 bottle of the fine wine.

Langton’s head of auctions Tamara Grischy said it was no surprise that the iconic Grange had again topped the rankings.

But she said the latest list had also unearthed some new and different styles that were making their mark on the fine wine world.

“Our winemakers have driven the transformation of Australian chardonnay, from bold and oaky to refined and elegant,” she said.

“The demand for this style is clear to see, with a number of Chardonnay wines being recognised.”

Ms Grischy said winemakers were also taking inspiration from the past with sparkling shiraz labels returning to the classification.

The first Langton’s classification was released in 1990 and featured just 34 wines.