NSW Wine Industry growth of $6.6 million for last year.

Key NSW Wine Statistics: (DECEMBER 2008 Nielsen Data)

- NSW accounts for 38.1% ($934m) of Australian Bottled Wine Sales with NSW experiencing 5.8% growth.
- NSW Wine sales in the domestic market are predominantly in NSW with 69.5% ($59m) of indicated NSW Wine sold in the home state, followed by 14.7% Victoria, 11.4% Queensland, 2.9% WA and 1% South Australia. So NSW is the biggest domestic seller of NSW Wine indicating the majority of NSW Wine is exported and not appropriately represented in our home state.
- NSW Wine only represents 6.3% ($59 million) of the total bottled wine sold in NSW. However, NSW Wine representation in the off premise market grew 12.6% or $6.6 million to reach $59 million indicating the NSW Wine Strategy is having an extremely positive impact (Other Regions Share of NSW market: Australia Other 41.5%, South Australia 18.8%, New Zealand 9.7%, Western Australia 8.0%, Victoria 5.9%, Imports other than New Zealand 3%).
- In $AUD dollar terms bottled wines sales in NSW indicated from NSW Wine have grown by $6.6 million on last year.

Things you didn’t know about NSW Wine:

- NSW is home to Australia’s oldest continuous wine region (Hunter Valley), and the newest (New England), which was only declared an official wine region in January 2008.
- Australia’s two most popular wine varieties – Chardonnay and Shiraz, both had their start in NSW. Shiraz was first planted by John Macarthur on his vineyard in Camden in 1833; and Chardonnay was first made by Mudgee pioneer Alf Kurtz in 1862.
- Family businesses dominate the NSW wine industry, accounting for more than 75% of the total crush (only 33% of the national wine crush is from family businesses).
- NSW is Australia’s second largest wine producing state, accounting for 34% of Australia’s $5 billion wine industry.
- NSW is home to two of Australia’s icon varieties namely, Semillon from the Hunter Valley and Botrytis Semillon from the Riverina.
- NSW is home to 9 of Australia’s Top 20 Wine Exporters: Casella, McGuigan, De Bortoli, Nugan Estate, McWilliams, Warburn Estate, Beelgara and Tyrrells with Cumulus this year joining the Top 20 Wine Exporters increasing the NSW tally to 9 wineries.
- NSW is home to 7 of Australia’s Top 20 Vineyard Holders: McGuigan, Warburn, McWilliams, De Bortoli, Nugan Estate, Casella and Cumulus.
- There are 14 official wine regions in NSW: Canberra District, Cowra, Gundagai, Hastings River, Hilltops, Hunter Valley, Mudgee, New England, Orange, Perricoota, Riverina, Shoalhaven Coast, Southern Highlands, Tumbarumba.
- NSW is home to 5 of Australia’s 20 oldest wine companies and/or continuously operating wine brands: Wyndam Estate 1828; Lindemans 1843; Draytons Family Wines 1853; Mudgee Wines 1856 and Tyrrells 1858.
- In 1983 NSW had 76 wine producers, today is has 450+ wine producers.
- NSW is home to over 351 cellar doors.

Source: NSW Wine Industry Association’s (NSW Wine) “NSW Wine Strategy”

Feature with Focus Magazine

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