Wine Export Summary

Now that it has wine in quantity to sell again, Australia’s wine exports are beginning to climb back to the rate of increase seen throughout the early ’90s. The country’s exports for the twelve month period ending July 1996 amounted to 133,081,729 litres, an increase of 16.5 over that of the previous twelve months.

The value of the total exports of the last year was $A483,092,443, equating to $3.63 per litre exported. It is greatly encouraging to see that the value per litre of overall exports has increased by 7.5 over the last twelve months, reflecting Australia’s ambition to move steadily up the price pyramid ahead of its other New World competitors.

Country by country:

1. United Kingdom 45 of Australia’s world market by value, 48 by volume

Sales volume up by 23.7 to 63,666,307 litres; value $218 million; value per litre $3.43, down 2.8. Up 19.6 in volume of bottled red, 23.6 in bottled white.

2. USA 16 of Australia’s world market by value, 12 by volume

Sales volume up by 24.0 to 16.505763 litres; value $80 million; value per litre $4.87, up 7.2.

3. New Zealand 7 of Australia’s world market by value, 10 by volume

Sales volume down by 6.1 to 13,708901 litres; value $36 million; value per litre $2.61, up 17.7.

4. Sweden 4 of Australia’s world market by value, 5 by volume

Sales volume down by 19.8 to 6,310,008 litres; value $17 million; value per litre $2.66, up 32.0.

5. Canada 5 of Australia’s world market by value, 5 by volume

Sales volume up by 14.7 to 6,242,546 litres; value $26 million; value per litre $4.17, up 7.8.

Total exports to the European Union have increased by 19.1 by volume, with bulk white sales to the UK to increasing by 126.

With a shift from selling bulk to bottled wine in Sweden, sales have fallen by 20 by volume, but have increased in value by 6.

Exports to Germany, perhaps the next boom market for Australian wine, have reached 2.4 million litres, 24 above the previous year. By value, exports to Germany were 44 above the previous year.

Australian wine exports to the US reached 16.5 million litres, 24 above the previous year, arising largely from an increase in consumption of bottled reds of 50 and whites of 17.

By value, the US and the UK account for 65 of all Australian bottled wine exports.

Sales to South-East Asia have increased in volume by 44 in the last twelve months, with increases in Thailand of 71, Singapore of 23, Hong Kong of 9 and Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines of 127, 80 and 67 respectively.

By container, the greatest growth area for sales is in bottled red wine, which has grown by 29.7 to represent 36 of exports, nearly equalling sales of bottled white, which in the twelve months preceding July 31, 1996 have increasing by 18.8 to account for 38 of wine exports. Sales of bottle fermented sparkling wines fell by 8.1 4 of exports and cask and flagon white by 4.4 3 of exports. Sales of cask and flagon reds increased by 4.4 2 of exports.

12,500 ha of new vineyards have been established over the last four years, but the 1995 vintage was considerably lower than expected, so these figures are generally encouraging. To put things into some perspective, the wine industry plans to increase exports from the current $1.4 billion to $4.5 billon over the next 30 years.

Major bottled wine exports are led by Jacobs Creek, a brand with a production of 24 million bottles, about 75 of which are exported. The brand now alone holds 20 of the Australian wine market in the UK. Over 12 million bottles were made of Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay this year, of which around 4 million of which will be sold in the US.

Figures courtesy Australian Wine Export Council. Please login to post comment