Imports

In the last 12 months, total Australian imports fell by 6% to a total volume of were valued at $9.11 per litre representing a 10% increase in price compared to 2021 (Tables 9 & 10).

The volume of bottled wine imported was approximately 48ML, representing 62% of total imports. Bottled red and white wines remained the most popular products with 46ML imported. The volume of imported bottled white has been on a steady decline, dropping by another 4% to a total of 26ML, continuing the trend over the last decade (Table 9). Conversely, there was a decline of 14% in imported bottled red to approximately 20ML, returning to a more consistent pattern in the last five years (Table 9).

The volume of bulk wine imported fell by 6% with 39ML shipped into Australia, primarily comprising still wine at 30ML, representing 77% of bulk shipments (Table 9). Bulk white wine shipments fell 11% on the previous 12 months. However, the shipment of bulk sparkling increased by 16% to 9ML which is the highest in the last decade (Table 9).

The French continue to supply the majority of imported wine for Australia, extending its dominance by another 8% compared to the previous year with a market value of $446 million. Imports from France represent 48% of the total imported wine into Australia. Imports from New Zealand shrank by 4% in 2021-22 to a value of $267 million (Table 10), reflecting the poor vintages within that country over the last five years. Imports from Chile grew 234% for a total value of $13 million (Table 10) while there was a sharp decline in imports from the USA, falling 62% to $7 million in 2021-2022. Trade with Germany also fell by 51% to a low of $6 million.

Table 9. Wine imports by type (‘000 litres) by year

2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 Change % in last 12 months
Bottled wine 65,146 64,888 62,179 68,503 68,914 65,538 67,846 63,507 -6%
White 39,391 36,918 35,583 37,514 36,456 31,728 26,487 25,502 -4%
Red 16,167 17,641 16,186 20,347 21,692 20,615 23,334 20,182 -14%
Sparkling (bottle fermented) 7,856 8,619 8,540 8,605 8,290 8,664 10,933 11,087 1%
Bottled other* 1,732 1,710 1,870 2,038 2,476 4,531 7,091 6,736 -5%
Bulk wine 26,093 22,987 30,103 27,784 31,244 36,619 41,253 38,615 -6%
Still wine 21,020 17,713 24,422 20,699 22,489 27,948 33,727 29,904 -11%
Sparkling (bulk fermented) 4,962 5,180 5,614 7,054 8,726 8,640 7,485 8,649 16%
Bulk other 111 93 67 31 29 31 41 62 50%
Grand Total 91,238 87,875 92,282 96,287 100,158 102,157 109,099 102,154 -6%

*Includes brandy, fortified and carbonated wine
Source: ABS imports data from Global Trade Atlas analysis by Wine Australia

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