d'Arenberg was awarded as a Winery of the Year by the USA publication Wine & Spirits Magazine. Each year the tasting panel reviews more than 9,000 wines blind and passes the best onto the critics. The Winery of the Year accolade is reserved for wineries that score at the top of their categories reflects the strength of the entire d’Arenberg portfolio across all categories and price points.

Wine & Spirits Editor Joshua Greene describes The Footbolt Shiraz 2006 as "pure soil driven funk" and had this to say of the range: "Whether you go for The Derelict Vineyard Grenache, The Sticks and Stones red or The Noble Wrinkled Riesling, the wine may have an unusual name, but it's bound to be delicious."

The Footbolt Shiraz 2006 was also named as one of the 100 Buys of the Year in the same edition.