Leading destinations for wine exports Australia FY 2024, by volume
The United Kingdom emerged as the leading export market for Australian wine in terms of volume in the 2024 financial year, with an export volume of around 217 million liters recorded. The United States and Canada were also primary export destinations for Australian wine that year. The quantity of wine exported to mainland China has been on the road to recovery, increasing by over 30 million liters from the 2023 financial year.
Have Australia’s wine exports stabilized?
In 2020, China imposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on Australian wine, which was a significant blow to Australia’s wine sector, with China a historically major export destination. Subsequently, Australia’s wine export volume continued its decreasing trajectory, hitting its lowest since 2011 in 2022 and 2023, at around 637 megaliters exported, respectively. In March 2024, the tables turned as China lifted the tariffs, offering relief to Australian wine producers. While ranking fourth among Australia’s wine export markets by volume, mainland China took the top spot as the country’s most valuable wine export destination. The value of wine exported to China leapt from about eight million Australian dollars in 2023 to over 400 million in 2024.
Australia’s leading wine varieties and grape-growing regions
Slow and steady wins; Chardonnay surpassed Shiraz in 2024 to become Australia’s top wine grape variety crushed for production, following years of hovering just below the red wine in the ranking, briefly holding the title back in 2013. While recording its lowest wine grape crush volume over the past decade at around 619 thousand metric tons, South Australia remained the country’s leading wine-producing and exporting state. The state boasts several renowned wine-growing regions, including the Barossa Valley, Riverland, and the McLaren Vale. Riverland retained its position as South Australia’s key region in terms of volume and value of wine grapes crushed, with Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon the region’s dominant grape varietals.
