10 Facts About Australian Wine

You may drink a lot of Australian wine, but just how well do you know it? Take your wine knowledge to the next level with our top 10 facts on Australian wine.

Grand old grapevines

Fact 1: Our grapevines are some of the oldest in the world. In the 1800s, many established vineyards in Europe and Australia were destroyed by the phylloxera pest. But thanks to strict quarantine rules, South Australia remained unaffected.

Holding our own

Fact 2: Australia is the fifth largest wine producer in the world, and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere (although it vies with Argentina for both positions from year to year).

We like our wine and we cannot lie

Fact 3: On average, Australians consume 29.6 litres of wine each, annually.

The rest of the world likes our wine too

Fact 4: About two million bottles of wine leave Australia every day to go to 111 international markets – about 60% of our total wine production.

We like to keep it local

Fact 5: Australian wine reigns supreme in our local markets. So much so, that imported wine accounts for less than 20% of total market share.

We really like our whites

Fact 6: White wine is the most popular type in the country, accounting for 45% of all domestic sales. Reds aren’t far behind though, taking out a respectable 40%, followed by Sparkling at 11%.

We think big

Fact 7: In Australia, there are 65 wine regions, each with its own unique topography, geography, climate and soils. Within these regions, more than 100 different grape varieties have been planted, however, Shiraz and Chardonnay are grown in every region.

Oldest to youngest

Fact 8: Langmeil’s Freedom vineyard in the Barossa Valley is Australia oldest vineyard, which was planted in 1843. Mount Gambier in South Australia’s south east is the country’s newest wine region.

Premium prices

Fact 9: The most expensive bottle of Australian wine ever sold in the world is the Penfold’s 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon. It sold for $168,000 in 2012.