Wine

Australia is the fourth largest exporter of wine in the world, producing 400 million litres a year of ‘new world’ wines to countries all over the globe. More than 3.2 million people visited Australian wineries in 2006, and 13.6% of overseas visitors come specifically to experience Aussie wines. The 16th ranking wine-drinking country in the world, the average person quaffs 22 litres of wine every year.

With a total of 1,798 wineries in Australia, the main wine growing regions are the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley in South Australia, the Yarra Valley in Victoria, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Margaret River in Western Australia and Richmond in Tasmania.

Wine vines were first introduced into Australia in 1788, when Governor Phillip arrived in the penal colony of New South Wales with vine cuttings from the Cape of Good Hope. Today the main grapes grown are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Riesling. Thanks to the favourable growing conditions and climate, wine has thrived.

Find out more about the wine regions and events.

Major wine producers include:

• Foster’s Wine Estates
  • Wolf Blass
  • Wynns
  • Penfolds
  • Rosemount
  • Lindemans
• Constellation Brands
  • Hardy Wine Company
  • Houghton Wine Company
• Pernod Ricard Pacific
  • Orlando Wines
  • Richmond Grove Wines
  • Wyndham Estate
• Casella Wines
  • Yellow Tail
• Taylors Wines (known as “Wakefield Wines” in the US and UK)
• McGuigan Simeon Wines
• De Bortoli Wines
• The Yalumba Wine Company