News

Charles Sturt University student Anne Johnson has been named the recipient of Wine Australia’s Dr Tony Jordan OAM Award 2021 to support her research exploring the benefits of agroecology in Australian viticulture and barriers to its adoption.

After 15 years of outstanding service to Wine Australia, including 8 years as CEO, Wine Australia Chair, Michele Allan, has announced that Andreas Clark will be leaving Wine Australia in late 2021.

Australian wine exports slowed in the 12 months to December 2020, decreasing by 1 per cent in value to $2.89 billion, as Chinese tariffs* took their toll on exports to that market, according to Wine Australia’s latest Export Report released today.

Wine Australia and Australian Grape & Wine are seeking inspiring individuals with inquisitive minds to join the sector’s professional development program Future Leaders 2021.

Riverland Wine is harnessing new interactive technology to become the first Australian wine region to launch an immersive virtual reality journey that showcases the Riverland’s spectacular scenery and high-quality food and wine credentials.

COVID-19 has brought much uncertainty when it comes to travel in 2020. With some interstate travel halted, tourism turned intrastate with locals taking the opportunity to explore their own backyards – where restrictions allowed – providing much needed relief in many regional areas.

In the 12 months ended September 2020, 771 million litres of Australian wine was exported to 116 destinations across the world. Of the total volume, 55 per cent was shipped unpackaged to be packaged in-market. Only 25 destinations received unpackaged Australian wine, with just over half that volume landing in the United Kingdom.

Chardonnay does not always get the attention it deserves. Red wine, particularly Shiraz, has tended to dominate recent stories of Australia’s export success, while Sauvignon Blanc has overshadowed other white wines on the domestic market for many years, currently accounting for 1 in every 8 bottles of wine purchased on the Australian domestic off-trade retail market

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales make up an estimated 17 per cent of total wine sales value, but for the majority of Australian wine businesses, which produce fewer than 20,000 cases, DTC sales account for more than 50 per cent of wine sales value and are therefore critical to their success and sustainability.

In  2017, Wine Australia reported that alternative varieties were on the rise in Australia with some of the varieties to watch out for being Assyrtiko, Nero d’Avola, Grüner Veltliner, Tempranillo, Vermentino, Touriga Nacional, Fiano and Nebbiolo. So how has demand for alternative Australian varieties been growing since then?