In the 12 months ended June 2025, Australian wine exports increased by 13 per cent in value to $2.48 billion and 3 per cent in volume to 639 million litres, according to Wine Australia’s Export Report released today. The average value of exports increased by 10 per cent to $3.88 per litre Free on Board (FOB).
Highlights of the report include:
- The year-on-year increase in exports was almost entirely driven by mainland China after tariffs on Australian bottled wine were removed at the end of March 2024.
- Over 12 months have passed since tariffs in mainland China were removed and the initial surge in exports has eased. The quarter ended June 2025 was 35 per cent smaller in value than the same quarter in the previous year.
- The return of mainland China offers a valuable market, with global wine consumption at its lowest level since 1961. However, it has only had a small impact on total export volume, as the volume shipped to mainland China is half of what it was at its peak in 2018.
- Exports to the rest of the world declined by 11 per cent in value to $1.59 billion and 6 per cent in volume to 554 million litres.
- The decline in value to the world excluding mainland China was driven by Hong Kong, while the volume drop was primarily driven by the United States and United Kingdom.
- Shipments with an average value of $7.50 per litre and above were the main driver of increased export value to Canada, possibly assisted by the removal of American wines from Canadian outlets.
Overview
The year-on-year increase in exports was almost entirely driven by mainland China after tariffs on Australian bottled wine were removed at the end of March 2024. Over 12 months have passed since tariffs in mainland China were removed and the initial surge in exports has eased. Figure 1 illustrates the downward trend in export value to the market since the initial re-stocking phase in the June 2024 quarter.
Figure 1: Quarterly export value – mainland China vs rest of world
Exports to the rest of the world declined by 11 per cent in value to $1.59 billion. This was mostly due to a high level of shipments to Hong Kong in December 2023, potentially driven by exporters anticipating the removal of import tariffs in mainland China. This was a temporary, unique scenario that led to a high value of shipments in that quarter (see Figure 1) and was not repeated in the last 12 months.
Export volume to the rest of the world declined by 6 per cent to 554 million litres. From a supply perspective, this reflects reduced wine production in Australia over the last three years, meaning less wine is available for export. On the demand side, this is in line with the long-term trend of declining consumption in key export destinations such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and New Zealand. Although export value to these destinations is more resilient due to consumers drinking less wine but better quality at higher prices, export volume has declined (see Figure 2). According to IWSR, global wine consumption fell by 3 per cent in 2024, driven by many of the destinations that Australian wine has traditionally relied upon. While there has been a long-term trend of consumers drinking less alcohol due to health and wellness concerns, more recent cost-of-living pressures have accelerated these trends. It is also possible that these pressures could worsen in certain markets, given current economic and geopolitical volatility.
Figure 2 also illustrates that even though the return of mainland China offers a valuable market at a time of global decline, it has only had a small impact on total export volume as the volume shipped to mainland China is now half of what it was at its peak in 2018 (85 vs 176 million litres).
Figure 2: Export volume to top destinations, 12 months ended June
Container type
In the 12 months ended June 2025, exports of Australian packaged wine increased by 16 per cent in value to $1.99 billion and 6 per cent in volume to 213 million litres. Average value climbed by 9 per cent to $9.36 per litre FOB as a result. The growth in packaged exports was mainly driven by mainland China, although Canada, Singapore, and Malaysia also showed good growth. 97 per cent of packaged export volume was exported in glass bottle, while 2 per cent was soft-pack (cask) and less than 1 per cent in alternative packaging.
Exports of unpackaged wine (to be packaged at the destination) increased by 4 per cent in value to $490 million and 2 per cent in volume to 426 million litres. Average value increased by 3 per cent to $1.15 per litre FOB. Both red and white bulk wine drove the slight increase in average value as white wine continued its long-term increase in average value, and red wine started to recover after its recent decline but remains low (see Figure 3).
Figure 3: Average value of unpackaged wine exports by colour
Winestyle
Red wine exports increased by 19 per cent in value to $1.84 billion and 9 per cent in volume to 360 million litres. The average value of red wine increased by 9 per cent to $5.11 per litre FOB. Mainland China was the biggest driver as the majority of exports to that market are red wine; however, the value of red wine exports also grew to Singapore, Canada, and Malaysia.
The top five exported varieties in red wine were:
- Shiraz, up 11 per cent to 160 million litres,
- Cabernet Sauvignon, up 8 per cent to 95 million litres,
- Merlot, up 2 per cent to 40 million litres,
- Pinot Noir, up 7 per cent 5.1 million litres, and
- Petit Verdot, up 4 per cent to 3.9 million litres.
Australia white wine exports declined by 1 per cent in value to $594 million and 4 per cent in volume to 262 million litres. Average value increased by 3 per cent to $2.27 per litre FOB. The decline in volume resulted in the share of white wine declining from 44 per cent to 41 per cent of exports in the last 12 months. The United States was the largest contributor to the decline, followed by the United Kingdom. Some of the decrease was offset by growth in white wine exports to mainland China and Canada.
The top five varieties in white wine exports were:
- Chardonnay, down 5 per cent to 138 million litres,
- Pinot Gris/Grigio, down 3 per cent to 44 million litres,
- Sauvignon Blanc, down 6 per cent to 25 million litres,
- Colombard, down 2 per cent to 8.3 million litres, and
- Muscat Gordo Blanco, up 18 per cent to 5.7 million litres.
Exports of rosé wine declined by 4 per cent in value during the 12 months ended June 2025, with growth to Canada and mainland China unable to offset losses in exports to a number of markets including the United Kingdom, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, and Sweden.
Destinations
Australian wine was exported to 116 destinations in the 12 months to June 2025, up from 115 in the previous 12 months.
Figure 4: Australian wine exports by region (Million litres)
Europe is the largest region for Australian wine exports by volume and shipments declined by 6 per cent to 288 million litres in the last 12 months. Exports to the United Kingdom were the main contributor to the decline in volume in the region.
Exports to North America also declined, by 10 per cent to 173 million litres, driven mostly by exports to the United States. While the volume of exports declined to Canada, value increased due to a higher level of premium (above $7.50 per litre) wine exports to the market in the last 12 months.
Northeast Asia was the growth driver during the 12 months to June 2025, increasing by 80 per cent in volume to 110 million litres. However, mainland China and South Korea were the only destinations in the region that grew in volume in the last 12 months.
Exports to Southeast Asia recovered somewhat, with more positive results in the volume of exports to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.
The top destinations by value were:
- Mainland China, up 123 per cent to $893 million,
- United Kingdom, down 1 per cent to $350 million,
- United States, down 12 per cent to $314 million,
- Canada, up 7 per cent to $157 million, and
- Hong Kong, down 54 per cent to $127 million.
The top destinations by volume were:
- United Kingdom, down 6 per cent to 204 million litres,
- United States, down 10 per cent to 111 million litres,
- Mainland China, up 162 per cent to 85 million litres,
- Canada, down 10 per cent to 61 million litres, and
- New Zealand, down 9 per cent to 25 million litres.
For more detailed information by market, please read the full Export Report or visit the Export Dashboard.