Insights from the Australian grape and wine community’s 2016 vintage

Vintage 2016 records increases in crush volume and average price

The Vintage Report 2016 reveals that the Australian winegrape crush increased by 6 per cent to 1.81 million tonnes. The average purchased price also increased by 14 per cent to $526 per tonne, the highest average price since 2009.

The top three varieties, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, all increased in crush volume and price. The increased volume of fruit from cool and temperate regions drove these increases.

The report shows that nine of the top ten varieties increased in overall average purchase value and that the amount of premium fruit sold for more than $1500 per tonne increased to account for 7 per cent of the total crush this year. Premium Shiraz in the top graded categories of more than $1500 per tonne rose to 13 per cent of the variety’s total crush and the national average price per tonne for Shiraz increased by 14 per cent. Similarly, premium Cabernet Sauvignon in the top categories grew to 9 per cent of the variety’s crush and its national average price increased by 17 per cent. 

For more details, please see the full report, which also includes price dispersion tables for more than 40 regions across Australia.