2025 Australia Vintage

Several weather events cut into 2025 crop potential. Dry conditions reduced yields, and a severe frost in spring devastated early-flowering white varieties. The drinks business, reporting on the release of the National Vintage Report 2025, summarised the season as one of cold snaps and dry winds. The frost left a clear fingerprint on the variety table: Chardonnay fell 13 per cent, a decline Wine Australia attributed directly to significant frosts across many regions, and it dropped from first to second place among Australian varieties as a result. Wine Australia's Peter Bailey was careful not to lay the whole crop size on the weather. He said a crush at least equal to the long-term average of 1.71 million tonnes should have been possible without active intervention, because the supply base had not significantly reduced in the past five years, which suggests the 2025 crush was held below the 10-year average to better match global demand for wine. He described the smaller crush relative to the long-term average as the result of both seasonal and strategic factors. Beyond frost and dry conditions, the fetched sources do not record specific heat, rainfall or smoke events, and none are asserted here.

• A severe spring frost devastated early-flowering white varieties
• Dry conditions through the season reduced yields; coverage described cold snaps and dry winds
• Chardonnay fell 13 per cent, attributed to significant frosts across many regions, and lost the top variety spot
• Wine Australia called the below-average crush a result of both seasonal and strategic factors
• The supply base had not significantly reduced in five years, so an average-sized crop remained possible without yield management

The year-on-year increase was driven by red varieties, which rose 20 per cent, while whites managed a more modest 2 per cent. Both colours still finished below their 10-year averages, with reds 9 per cent below and whites 8 per cent below. Peter Bailey noted that the red crush was still estimated to be the third smallest in more than a decade, the two smallest being the preceding two years. He was not entirely comfortable with the mix. A significant increase in red varieties, he said, could exacerbate the challenges facing the sector in terms of excess stocks of red wine and might further reduce demand for those varieties next vintage. On the other hand, he told the drinks business, it also meant there would be no shortage of quality Australian red wines available to consumers around the world. On the white side, Bailey said supply and demand were roughly in balance, so the lower white crush was unlikely to have a significant impact on the sector.

• Reds up 20 per cent, whites up 2 per cent, both still below their 10-year averages
• The red crush was still the third smallest in more than a decade
• Bailey warned the red increase could worsen the existing excess stocks of red wine
• White supply and demand were described as roughly in balance

Shiraz reclaimed its position as Australia's most-crushed variety with a 23 per cent increase, pushing frost-hit Chardonnay back to second. Most other major varieties grew, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris/Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc all posting double-digit gains. Pinot Gris/Grigio overtook Merlot for the first time to take fifth position, giving white varieties three of the top five places for the first time. The longer view is less rosy: of the top 10 varieties, only Pinot Gris/Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir crushed more in 2025 than they did 10 years earlier. South Australia held the largest state share at 48 per cent, 8 per cent higher than its very low 2024 crush but still 13 per cent below its own 10-year average. New South Wales was next at 33 per cent and posted the largest year-on-year increase at 24 per cent, bringing it back in line with its 10-year average. Victoria was third, down 1 per cent year on year and 13 per cent below its average. Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland all increased, and Tasmania is estimated to have set a record crush for the second year in a row.

• Shiraz up 23 per cent to first place; Chardonnay down 13 per cent to second
• Pinot Gris/Grigio passed Merlot for fifth, putting whites in three of the top five spots for the first time
• Only Pinot Gris/Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir crushed more than a decade earlier
• New South Wales up 24 per cent, the largest state increase; Tasmania set a record crush for the second consecutive year

The total value of the 2025 crush was estimated at $1.13 billion, an additional $136 million or 14 per cent on 2024. The direction of prices flipped compared with recent years: average purchase values for both red and white grapes from cool and temperate regions decreased, while both colours from warm inland regions increased. Peter Bailey was clear that the inland increase was from a very low base. Average purchase values for warm inland reds in the past two years were the lowest in over a decade, he said, and for many growers would not be sufficient for production to be economically viable. Conditions were not likely to improve for red grapes until there was a significant reduction in the supply base, and the sector needed to keep working together to bring supply and demand back into balance at a price point that was profitable for growers and winemakers alike. The National Vintage Report 2025 drew on a record 746 businesses and is estimated to account for 92 per cent of the total volume of the Australian crush.

• Crush value $1.13 billion, up $136 million (14 per cent)
• Cool and temperate average values fell for both colours; warm inland values rose for both
• Warm inland red values over the past two years were the lowest in more than a decade
• Survey drew a record 746 responses covering an estimated 92 per cent of the national crush