Australian Wine Industry Overview
Viticultural Information
Vineyard area
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Figure 1. Area of vineyards 1978-2000
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| Figure 2. Area of new plantings vineyards 1992-2000 |
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) estimates that 158,595 hectares are cultivated for wine, drying and table grapes in Australia (see table). Of this amount 143,373 hectares are now bearing fruit; 11.9% of all vines planted are still not bearing. The total area of vines at harvest increased by 7.0% from 2001, continuing a trend of increasing plantings since 1987 (Figure 1). South Australia remains the state with the largest area of vineyards and accounts for 42.3% of total vineyard area, down from 41.9% in 2001. The total area of vines increased in every State except Queensland saw a minimal decrease in total number of vines. South Australia recorded the highest total increase of 4,876 hectares, followed by New South Wales with an increase of 2,822 hectares. Tasmania showed the greatest percentage growth with 26.2% more vineyard area in 2002 than in 2001.
A total of 6,958 hectares of vines were planted in 2001-02, an increase of 5.6% from the previous year (Figure 2). South Australia led the way, accounting for 49.2% of the newly planted vines (see table). The number of red winegrapes planted was slightly higher than the white grapes with Chardonnay being the most widely planted, followed by Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon (see table). In the past five years, nearly three times more Shiraz vines have been planted than Chardonnay (14,506 hectares to 4,348 hectares).
Grape production
The ABS reported that 1,514,501 tonnes of winegrapes were crushed in 2001-02. (ABS figures for winegrape production are less than the figures for grapes crushed due to differences in the data collection methodologies). South Australia's production accounted for 45.5% of the national total, down from 47.1% in the previous year (see table).
Grape varieties
Approximately 90 grape varieties are grown commercially in Australia (see table).
Chardonnay remains as the most widely planted white winegrape variety and accounts for 35.4% of all white winegrapes by vineyard areas (bearing and non-bearing) (see table). Sultana, Semillon and Chenin Blanc showed declines in vineyard area while Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard and Verdelho showed increases.
Red winegrapes comprise 61.3% of the total area of vines grown in Australia. The total area planted to red grape varieties increased by 6.9% from 2001 to a total of 97,169 hectares in 2001-02. The area planted to Shiraz, Mataro, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot increased by about 10%. The only red winegrapes which showed a loss in vineyard area are Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Shiraz remains the most widely planted red variety comprising 37.0% of all vineyard area of red winegrapes.
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