Days of inexpensive
Australian wines may be numbered with the past glut
turning into short supplies as the draught continues
to affect the grape harvest for the second year, with
a further downward production forecast for 2009 announced
by AWBC yesterday..
Delivering its annual supply and
demand assessment yesterday, the Australian Wine and
Brandy Corporation said the national grape harvest
was expected to be 1.22 million tonnes in 2008, down
from 1.47 million tonnes in 2007 due to the continued
draught conditions prevailing in Australia
A further fall to 1.16 million tonnes has been forecast
for 2009.
"The opportunity out of the predicted harvest
is for the Australian wine sector to shift its focus
from volume to value," said Sam Trolley, CEO
of Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation. 'The currency
of our success must be measured by value and not volume
alone,' he added
Increasing the average dollar per liter price is ambitious,
but there are compelling reasons for people to choose
Australian wine, he insists.
Trolley added that two successive drought-affected
seasons and the likelihood of a reduced vintage in
2009 would constrain the wine available for export.
It would be the choice of individual producers choice
whether to export or sell in the domestic market.
Wine production for the year to the end of October
came in at 1.02 billion liters, with domestic sales
accounting for 476 million liters.
Export sales of about 800 million liters were worth
$3 billion.
Resource:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au
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