Value and volume of Australian wine exports grow strongly in 12 months to September 2017

Wine Australia’s Export Report released today shows that, in the 12 months ended 30 September 2017, Australian wine exports continued to grow strongly in both volume and value. Export value grew 13 per cent to $2.44 billion and volume grew by 9 per cent to 799 million litres.

The average value of bottled exports increased by 1 per cent to $5.53 per litre and the average value of bulk exports increased by 3 per cent to $1.00 per litre, underpinning 4 per cent growth in the average value of all exports to $3.06 per litre free on board (FOB), the highest value since the same period in 2009.

Pleasingly, there was growth across almost all price points (see Figure 1). This growth reflects increasing demand for premium Australian wines in most regions around the world, where consumers are trading up to higher value products across a range of categories.

Figure 1: Exports of wine by price segment

Destinations

In the period, Australia exported wine to 124 countries and the value of exports increased to 82 of them.

Australia’s five largest markets account for 76 per cent of the value of Australian exports. The top five markets by value were:

• mainland China (30 per cent share of export value)
• the United States (19 per cent share)
• the United Kingdom (14 per cent share)
• Canada (8 per cent share), and
• Hong Kong (5 per cent share)

Exceptional growth to mainland China continued, with the value of exports up 56 per cent to a record $739 million. Growing consumer demand contributed to this strong growth, as have some changed business practices. The reduced tariffs through the China–Australia Free Trade Agreement has seen exporters now shipping directly to mainland China instead of Hong Kong. Also, as logistics and route-to-market practices evolve, some products are being sent earlier to market.

Exporters

Both established and new-to-market exporters shared in the strong export growth. There were a record 2102 active exporters in the period, up from 1744 exporters in the same period in 2016. Of these, 1475 exporters experienced a growth in exports of 28 per cent ($451 million) to $2 billion.

The number of shipments that departed Australia in September 2017 was 7.6 per cent higher than in September 2016 and the average growth in the number of shipments for this calendar year is 7.8 per cent.

In September 2017, Wine Australia issued 500 more import certificates than in September 2016.