Imports
In 2019-20, Australia imported 102ML of wine into the country, a rise of 2% compared to the financial year ending 2019 (see Table 10). The value of wine imports dropped by 2% to $834 million. The increased volume and decreased value resulted in the average value per litre contracting by 4% to $8.16 per litre in 2020 (see Table 11).
The volume of bottled wine imported declined by 5% to approximately 65ML in 2019-20 (see Table 10). Although bottled whites remained the largest category of wine imported into Australia, totalling 32ML, the volume of bottled white wine imports experienced a sharp fall of 13% during the fiscal year (see Table 10).
The volume of bulk wine imported rose by 17% to a record high of 37ML. Bulk still wine represented 76% of all bulk wine imports with 28ML in total (Table 10). This is an increase of 24% from the previous year.
France remained the primary source of imported wine in Australia in 2019-20, comprising 41% of the total market value at $350 million. There have been increasing signs that French wines remain popular in Australia and in 2019-20 these surpassed Australian consumers’ preference for imports from New Zealand, as they did in the previous year (2018-19). Imported wine from New Zealand shrunk by another 7% in 2019-20 to $315 million, a record low not seen since 2014 (see Table 11).
Other notable increases in imports were from the United States and Germany. Both countries experienced a 27% increase to both reach a value of $8 million (see Table 11). Wine imported from Italy remained strong with an increase of 6% for a total $104 million. The value of imported wine from Chile dropped by huge 61% in 2019-20, albeit off a small base, to stand at $2 million (see Table 11). The value of re-imports from Australia also declined by 20% with a value of $4 million.
Table 10. Wine imports by type (‘000 litres) by year
| 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | % Change 2019-20 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottled wine | 65,146 | 64,888 | 62,179 | 68,503 | 68,914 | 65,533 | -5% |
| White | 39,391 | 36,918 | 35,583 | 37,514 | 36,456 | 31,728 | -13% |
| Red | 16,167 | 17,641 | 16,186 | 20,347 | 21,692 | 20,612 | -5% |
| Sparkling (bottle fermented) | 7,856 | 8,619 | 8,540 | 8,605 | 8,290 | 8,662 | 4% |
| Bottled other* | 1,732 | 1,710 | 1,870 | 2,038 | 2,476 | 4,531 | 83% |
| Bulk wine | 26,093 | 22,987 | 30,103 | 27,784 | 31,244 | 36,619 | 17% |
| Still wine | 21,020 | 17,713 | 24,422 | 20,699 | 22,489 | 27,948 | 24% |
| Sparkling (bulk fermented) | 4,962 | 5,180 | 5,614 | 7,054 | 8,726 | 8,640 | -1% |
| Bulk other | 111 | 93 | 67 | 31 | 29 | 31 | 9% |
| Grand Total | 91,238 | 87,875 | 92,282 | 96,287 | 100,158 | 102,152 | 2% |
*Includes brandy, fortified and carbonated wine
Source: ABS imports data from Global Trade Atlas analysis by Wine Australia
