Amount of grapes crushed Australia 2023, by variety

An estimated 346,156 metric tons of Shiraz grapes were crushed for wine production in Australia in 2023. The wine grape varieties Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot were also in the top five types crushed for the production of wine that year. Around 1.3 million metric tons of grapes were crushed across the country in 2023, the lowest wine grape crush volume recorded in Australia in the last decade.

South Australia: the heart of Australia’s wine industry

From the Barossa Valley to the McLaren Vale, South Australia boasts several renowned wine regions and holds a share of over 50 percent of Australia’s wine grape crush. South Australia’s Riverland region accounted for the largest share of the state’s wine grape crush volume in 2023, over 60 percent, followed by the Barossa Valley with a 10 percent share. The red wine grape variety, Shiraz, was the leading wine grape varietal crushed for production in South Australia that year, followed by Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Can Australia cure its hangover?

As of 2023, Australia’s wine industry is drowning in surpluses, an estimated two billion liters worth nationwide. Since 2020, exports of Australian wine to China, previously Australia’s top wine export partner, have plunged due to a trade dispute between the two countries, which ensued in China imposing high tariffs on Australian wines. With exports to the Chinese market diminishing, liters of Australian wine are sitting in domestic storage, causing many issues for the country’s industry, such as falling average purchase prices for several wine grape varieties and declining shelf prices. Exploration into new export markets and existing leading markets, such as the UK, as well as increasing domestic distribution, may help to disperse some of Australia’s wine supply. Nonetheless, it may take many years to work off the surplus, especially if wine producers are still unable to export higher volumes to China.