By Andy Young
Australian wine exports saw double-digit growth in the 12 months to 30 September, with growth being primarily driven by bottled exports, particularly at higher price points.
The Wine Australia Export Report showed that the value of exports grew by 10 per cent to a total value of $2.17bn. Bottled exports grew by 14 per cent to $1.8bn, with the average value of bottled exports increasing by nine per cent to a 13-year high of $5.47 per litre.
Wine Australia CEO Andreas Clark said: “The latest figures show that Australian wine exports continue to see strong growth and it’s our finest wines that are most in demand. More than half of the total value growth in the last 12 months was in wines priced at $10 or more per litre free-on-board (FOB); value was up 28 per cent to a record $547 million.”
The Yarra Valley is one region where the drive to premium has really helped its growth, with the total value of bottled exports increasing by 38 per cent to $14.6m in the 12 months to September.
De Bortoli Wines has witnessed this growth first hand with exports of its own Yarra Valley wines growing by 94 per cent in the same time frame.
Victor De Bortoli, Executive Director of De Bortoli Wines, manages the company’s export arm and points to the Yarra Valley’s maturing vineyards being in the ideal position to respond to global consumer demand for wines that reflect the quality and taste of their provenance.
“The Yarra Valley is primed to deliver on demand for premium wines because many of the region’s local vineyards have come of age and can deliver the quality expected to meet growing international tastes – in fact the Yarra Valley is selling everything it can make,” says De Bortoli.
“It’s exciting to see this is translating into sales, especially when you look at the value per litre figures in the Wine Australia Export Report. There’s no doubting the region is becoming regarded as among the most respected in Australia for producing top quality wines.”
All export regions recorded growth in the last year, except for Europe, which declined by 3 per cent to $570m. Northeast Asia is now our number one export region, growing by $177m (35 per cent) to $678m. North America was up by $21m (3 per cent) to $639m, while Southeast Asia grew by $15m (11 per cent) to $152m.
The growth that De Bortoli has seen in exports, particularly to Asia, has seen the company named as a finalist for the ‘Asian Success’ category in the AFR & PWC Private Clients Aspire Awards. The Awards celebrate outstanding achievements made by Australia’s private and family businesses.
De Bortoli has experienced an increase in demand for its premium quality wines worldwide, most notably in Asia with growth of 42 per cent since 2014.
Speaking about the nomination, Victor De Bortoli added: “This recognition reflects the hard work of our team, both here in Australia and around the world, in building a strong and growing export business that is positioned well to capitalise on increasing Asian demand for premium Australian wines."