Australian Wine Industry - Did You Know?

The wine industry in Australia is a significant contributor to the Australian economy through production, employment, export and tourism. Here are 30 facts about the Australian wine industry

On average, Australia crushes 1.672 million tonnes of wine grapes per year 

There are approximately 65 wine regions across Australia 

Chardonnay and Shiraz are typically the top contender’s for Australia’s favourite wine

Chardonnay and Shiraz are grown in all of Aussie’s 65 wine regions

The Great Southern is Australia’s largest wine region spanning a 200 x 100 kilometre area

Approximately 1.6 billon glasses of Aussie wine are downed every year around the globe

There are more than 155 different wine grape varieties planted across Australia

The first wine grapes planted on Australian soil was in 1791

Australia has no native grape varieties, vines were originally imported from Europe and South Africa in the late 18th and 19th centuries

The Granite Belt in Queensland has some of the highest and coolest vineyards in the country

Langmeil’s Freedom vineyard in South Australia’s Barossa Valley is the oldest vineyard in the country and was planted in 1843

Australia is one of the top 10 wine-producing countries in the world

In fact Australia exports approximately 750 million litres of wine a year

Taking the above into consideration, only about 40% of Australia’s entire production is consumed domestically on Aussie soil

Due to Australia being such a huge country, it means that almost every type of climate and soil type can be found which results in Australia being able to produce all the major wine types; red & white still wines, fortified wines, dessert wines and sparkling wines

Australia is home to cask wine

Australia is working on and has invented new ways to produce wines with less chemicals

Australian wines are sold in over 100 countries around the world

Australia’s most famous wine is Penfolds Grange – at one point the famed Robert Parker exclaimed that Grange “has replaced Bordeaux’s Pétrus as the world’s most exotic and concentrated wine”

South Australia and its wine regions have the largest wine productions in the country

Victoria has the most wineries in the country with a total of 747 wineries 

South Australia is second in line with a total of 706 wineries

The Northern Territory is the only state in the country that doesn’t have any vineyards or wineries

Across major countries for food and wine experiences, Australia is ranked 3rd behind France and Italy, however in front of Spain and Japan

Gregory Blaxland was the first person to show the world Australian wine in 1822 when he travelled to England to share his wine with Royal Society of Arts members

In 2015 the top 3 export markets for Australian wine were; the USA, the UK and China

Western Australia contributes to only 5% of Australia’s overall wine production, yet… they contribute to 20% of the Australian premium wine market!

Buying wine online within Australia has become increasing popular within regional wine areas

The Western Australia wines come from the hottest and driest wine region in Australia and in the world

Tasmania has 230 individual vineyards, 90 cellar doors and 1800 hectares under vine

There are 14 wine regions in New South Wales