Market Watch: New Horizons In Australian Wine

The U.S. represents one of the top five export markets for Australian wine, comprising 15% of the country’s total shipments at the end of 2020. Bottled Australian wine shipments to the U.S. grew 1.4% last year to just under 9 million 9-liter case shipments, according to Impact Databank.

At the end of 2020, China remained the largest-value export market for Australian wines, accounting for 35%, but amid tensions in late November the country imposed dramatic anti-dumping trade tariffs on Australian bottled wine imports, ranging between 107% to 212%. The result has led a number of leading Australian wine marketers and producers to shift attention to other strong export markets, such as the U.S. The full impact of the tariffs remains to be seen, but many players in Australian wine are optimistic about the bright future a renewed focus could bring to the U.S. market.

The category has received a U.S. boost from Wine Australia’s partnership with Wine.com, which has given it more exposure among upmarket consumers. “We are a platform that can amplify the incredible stories of Australian producers and enhance the discovery of new regions and varieties of Australian wine,” says Michael Osborn, co-founder and executive vice president of Wine.com. “Australian wines have grown 140%, and this compares favorably to our growth in wine of 127%.” Market Watch has more on the U.S. outlook for the Australia category.—Kimberly Tharel

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