News

Australian wine direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales in 2020–21 are reported to have grown by 17 per cent in value and 14 per cent in volume, compared with the previous financial year, outperforming other sales channels according to Wine Australia’s Wine Direct-to-Consumer Survey Report 2021 released today.

An Agriculture Victoria research project studying phylloxera has revealed new ways to improve detection and management of the destructive grapevine pest. Over the past three years, a $1.5 million project co-funded with Wine Australia has delivered a new portable technology for rapid identification of phylloxera in the field, new knowledge in assisting screening of rootstock resistance, and new disinfestation practices to help prevent the pest from spreading.

Australian wine exports during 2020–21 declined by 10 per cent in value to $2.56 billion, compared with the previous financial year, while export volume declined by 5 per cent in volume to 695 million litres (77 million 9-litre case equivalents), according to Wine Australia’s latest Export Report released today.

The Australian wine sector has rebounded from two successive small vintages to produce a record crop of 2.03 million tonnes in 2021, after a season characterised by near-perfect growing and ripening conditions across most states and regions, according to the National Vintage Report 2021 released today by Wine Australia.

Wine Australia today launched its Export Label Image Search System (ELISS) to help Australian wine producers protect their intellectual property rights.

Australian wineries have reported in Wine Australia’s Wine Direct-to-Consumer Survey Report 2021 that direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales grew strongly in 2020–21, up by 17 per cent in value and 14 per cent in volume compared to the previous financial year. By contrast, overall sales value for survey respondents grew by 1 per cent, while volume declined by 5 per cent.

The Nordic markets of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden are important markets for Australian wine exports, making up 5 per cent of the volume shipped in 2020–21.

No and low alcohol wines and wine products are attracting a lot of attention lately. This segment is forecast to grow by 15 per cent per annum globally over the next five years, compared with less than 1 per cent for total wine volume.

Early signs suggest that global wine production (supply) and consumption (demand) may be closer together in 2021 than they have been since 2017. However, physically bringing wine and consumers together may be harder than ever before, as turbulence in wine markets and shipping routes disrupt global wine trade.

The rise in popularity of lighter and medium-bodied red wines around the world has seen a resurgence in Australian Grenache in recent years.