National vintage report reveals “problematic” rise in red winegrape crush

Image courtesy Wine Australia

With today’s release of the National Vintage Report 2025 comes the news that red winegrapes have once again taken over whites in Australia’s winegrape crush, increasing by 20 percent year-on-year. The 2025 Australian winegrape crush is estimated to be 1.57 million tonnes, 160,000 tonnes (11 percent) more than the 2024 crush, but still 140,000 tonnes below the 10-year average of 1.71 million tonnes, according to the report released by Wine Australia. The year-on-year increase in the crush was driven by red varieties, while the crush of white varieties was 2% higher than in 2024. Shiraz has returned to the top as Australia’s most-crushed variety in 2025, overtaking Chardonnay.

“The crush of red grapes is still estimated to be the third-smallest in more than a decade (the past two years being the smallest) and was 9% below its 10-year average, while the crush of white grapes was 8% below the 10-year average,” Bailey said.

However, he noted that the mix of red versus white was problematic.

“The significant increase in red varieties this year could exacerbate the challenges facing the sector in terms of excess stocks of red wine, and might further reduce demand for these varieties next vintage.”

Nation’s 2025 crush increase on past two years but still below long-term average

The smaller crush relative to the long-term average is likely to have been a result of both seasonal and strategic factors, with a decline in demand for wine globally driving adjustment in the Australian wine sector, explained Peter Bailey, manager of market insights at Wine Australia.

“The 2025 crush equates to around 1.1 billion litres of wine, which is in line with current sales of Australian wine on domestic and export markets,” said Bailey.

It should be noted that there was also an increase in the number of wineries that responded to the vintage survey this year: 2025 saw 746 businesses respond, an increase from last year’s 711 respondents. Wine Australia estimates that these 746 businesses account for 92% of the total volume of the Australian winegrape crush in 2025.

Despite the year-on-year increases, the crush of both red and white varieties was still below the 10-year average (Figure 1).

*Figure 1: Crush of red and white grapes in Australia since 2015. Image courtesy Wine Australia*

Value of the crush

The total value of the Australian winegrape crush in 2025 is estimated to be $1.13 billion, an additional $136 million (14%) compared with 2024.

The average purchase value for red and white grapes from cool / temperate regions both decreased, while there were increases in the average purchase value for both red and white grapes from warm inland regions (Figure 2).

*Figure 2: Average value and year-on-year changes for grapes by source and colour. Image courtesy Wine Australia*

Bailey said that despite the increases, the average purchase values for warm inland reds in the past two years were the lowest in over a decade, and for many growers the grape prices would not be sufficient for production to be economically viable.

“Conditions are not likely to improve for red grapes until there is a significant reduction in the supply base,” Bailey said.

“The wine sector needs to continue to work together to bring supply and demand back into balance at a profitable price point for growers and winemakers.”

Top 10 varieties

Shiraz regained its position as the number one variety, increasing by 23%, while Chardonnay dropped back to second place, after significant frosts across many regions caused it to decrease by 13%. Most other major varieties increased, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris/Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc all seeing double-digit growth year-on-year. Pinot Gris/Grigio overtook Merlot for the first time, to take fifth position and give whites three of the top five positions for the first time.

Despite these increases, out of the top 10 varieties only Pinot Gris/Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir crushed more in 2025 than they did 10 years ago.

Crush by state

South Australia accounted for the largest share of the national crush by size, with 48%. This was 8% higher than its very low 2024 crush, but still 13% below its 10-year average.

New South Wales was the next largest, with a 33% share of the crush, and had the largest year-on-year increase—24% larger than the 2024 crush to be in line with its 10-year average.

The third-largest state by crush size was Victoria. The estimated crush from Victorian vineyards was down 1% year-on-year and 13% below its 10-year average.

Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland all increased their crush year-on-year. For the second year in a row, Tasmania is estimated to have had a record crush.

*An overview of the 2025 vintage. Image courtesy Wine Australia*

The National Vintage Report is available from www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/national-vintage-report. Vintage survey statistics, including regional winegrape pricing, are available on Wine Australia’s Vintage Survey dashboard https://marketexplorer.wineaustralia.com/vintage-survey.

The Grape Price Indicators dashboard https://marketexplorer.wineaustralia.com/grape-price-indicators for inland regions has also been updated with the latest data.

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