Australians have a taste for imported wines

Australian wine drinkers have a healthy appetite for imported wines, Wine Australia has reported.

Imported wine has an estimated 20% share by volume on the domestic market in Australia - and more by value.

New Zealand accounts for approximately half of all imported wine, followed by France (20%), Italy (17%) and others (10%).

Customs figures show total wine imports have grown from 82 million litres in 2014 to 106 million litres in the year 2023.

Wine Australia says: "It is no surprise that other wine-producing countries are targeting this market in a competitive, free-trade global environment, characterised by declining demand and excess supply."

Imports from France and Italy have both grown by a compound annual growth rate of around 7% since 2014, although figures have dropped over the past two years.

Wine Business Solutions reported Australian wine-producing states and New Zealand lost ground to European countries in 2023 in terms of share of wine listings in licensed premises across Australia.

Overall, wine listings from France increased by 16% to be second only to South Australia, while Italy grew 1% to take third spot from Victoria, which slipped from second to fourth.

Another warning sign for Australian producers is that although the volume of French wine imports may have declined in the past 12 months, the value increased by 9% overall, driven by Champagne (up 30%).

Overall, French wine imports account for 49% of the total value of imports.