China drives 7% increase in Australian wine exports in 2016
Record values on Australia's premium bottled wines (AUD$10 or more per litre) in 2016 helped to push the total value of the country's wine exports up 7% to AUD2.2bn (USD1.7bn), according to Wine Australia. Exceptional growth was cited in Australian wine exports to China which surged 40% to $520m. 

China’s increasing thirst for premium wines has helped boost the value of Australia’s wine exports by 7% to $2.2bn in 2016.

Industry body Wine Australia said there was exceptional growth in exports to China, rising 40% to $520m last year.

The group’s annual Export Report, released on Friday, shows the average value of Australia’s wine exports rose 6% to $2.96 a litre, the highest since 2009.

Behind the strong growth was premium Australian bottled wines, particularly to China.

Exports priced $10 per litre and more were up in all of Australia’s top five markets except Hong Kong: mainland China by 47%, the US by 23%, the UK by 25% and Canada by 9%. Hong Kong was down by 12%.

“Last year, Australia’s most premium wines took centre stage,” the Wine Australia chief executive, Andreas Clark, said.

“Our highest-priced wines [$10 or more per litre] achieved record value in 2016, up an impressive 19% to $574m.”

Clark said the momentum has continued into 2017.