Australia: Geographical Indications, Regions and Grapes

Australian wine is administered by Wine Australia, a Commonwealth Government statutory authority established under the Wine Australia Act 2013, an Act the Federal Register of Legislation records as administered by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Its functions are prescribed by section 7 of that Act and include coordinating or funding grape or wine research and development activities, promoting the consumption and sale of grape products in Australia and overseas, and controlling the export of grape products from Australia. Wine Australia is funded by the sector through grapegrower, winemaker and exporter levies and user-pays charges, with matching funds from the Australian Government for research and innovation. The same Act carries the country's origin law. Part VIB of the Wine Australia Act 2013 protects geographical indications and other terms, and Wine Australia keeps the Register of Protected Geographical Indications and Other Terms in accordance with sections 40ZC and 40ZD. Wine Australia describes Australia as the world's fifth-largest grape wine producing country, with a vineyard base of around 150,000 hectares and an average annual grape production of 1.75 million tonnes making approximately 1.2 billion litres of wine. The OIV, on its own basis, estimated the Australian vineyard at 159 kha in 2025 and Australian wine production at 11.3 mhl, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere that year.

• Wine Australia is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority established under the Wine Australia Act 2013
• Wine Australia's functions are prescribed by section 7 of the Act and include controlling the export of grape products from Australia
• Part VIB of the Act covers protection of geographical indications and other terms
• According to the OIV, Australian wine production was 11.3 mhl in 2025, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere that year

The geographical indication zones declared by the Geographical Indications Committee cover all of Australia, and Wine Australia states that it is not possible to grow grapes in Australia outside of a GI zone. The South Eastern Australia zone incorporates the whole of the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania and only part of Queensland and South Australia. Wine Australia counts 65 wine regions across the country. At one extreme it records vineyards in the Granite Belt of Queensland, centred on the town of Stanthorpe, at more than 1000 metres above sea level. Heat, drought, fire risk and salinity are the working constraints. Wine Australia states that the ability to manage the impact of heatwaves, drought, increased fire risk and salinity has become an integral part of vineyard management in the Australian grape and wine community, and lists adaptation responses that include increased irrigation efficiency, modified irrigation practices in response to heatwaves and frosts, vineyard floor management aimed at retaining soil moisture, use of alternative varieties or rootstocks, and establishment of vineyards in cooler regions. A three-year project with the University of Tasmania produced Australia's Wine Future: A Climate Atlas, a free online resource of climate information for all Australian geographical indications, with tailored indices calculated for every Australian geographical indication covering temperature, including growing season temperature and growing degree days, rainfall and evaporative demand, heat extremes, and cold extremes.

• GI zones cover all of Australia; Wine Australia states it is not possible to grow grapes outside a GI zone
• The South Eastern Australia zone incorporates the whole of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania and only part of Queensland and South Australia
• Wine Australia records Granite Belt vineyards at more than 1000 metres above sea level and counts 65 wine regions
• Australia's Wine Future: A Climate Atlas, built with the University of Tasmania, carries climate indices for every Australian GI

Wine Australia states that geographical indications include zones, regions and sub-regions, that sub-regions are generally contained within regions and regions within zones, and that super-zones also exist, incorporating more than one zone, while each state is itself a protected GI term. Zones were initially declared by the Geographical Indications Committee in December 1996 to establish a framework for GIs in the wine sector. Regions and sub-regions are defined only if they can be demonstrated to meet criteria regarding similarity of grapegrowing characteristics within the defined boundary, on an application presented to the Geographical Indications Committee. The GI boundaries are defined by legislation and entered in the Register, and the textual description of each boundary is the legal definition, taking precedence over the maps. The Register itself has four parts: Part 1 for Australian and foreign country geographical indications and translations, Part 2 for traditional expressions relating to wines originating in a foreign country, Part 3 for quality wine terms for wines originating in Australia, which Wine Australia notes are all traditional terms used for Australian fortified wine, and Part 4 for additional terms including Icewine, Methode Champenoise and Moscato. Under section 40D of the Act a wine's description and presentation is false if it includes a registered GI and the wine did not originate there, and under section 40F it is misleading if a registered GI is used in a way likely to mislead as to origin. The rules apply even when a protected term is accompanied by expressions such as kind, type, style, imitation or method, so descriptors such as 'Barossa style' or 'Champagne method' are not permitted. The maximum penalty is two years' jail, or a fine of 120 penalty units. The Geographical Indications Committee is an independent decision-making body separate to Wine Australia, made up of three members; to be eligible for determination as a GI a grape growing area must usually produce at least 500 tonnes of grapes per year, include at least five wine grape vineyards of at least five hectares each without common ownership, and be a single tract of land.

• The GI tiers are zones, regions and sub-regions, with super-zones incorporating more than one zone and each state a protected GI term
• Register Part 3 covers quality wine terms for Australian wines, all traditional terms used for Australian fortified wine; Part 4 covers additional terms including Icewine, Methode Champenoise and Moscato
• Descriptors such as 'Barossa style' or 'Champagne method' are not permitted; maximum penalty two years' jail or 120 penalty units
• GI eligibility: usually at least 500 tonnes of grapes a year, at least five vineyards of at least five hectares each without common ownership, and a single tract of land

The hub below follows the six Australian states that organise this wiki. State and region names are the geographical indications entered in Wine Australia's Register, and the 2026 crush figures come from Wine Australia's National Vintage Report 2026. Figures given as estimated are based on responses to the National Vintage Survey 2026 and scaled up to account for non-responses; figures given as reported are the tonnes reported to the survey in the report's Table 5, crush by state and region.

• New South Wales: the state's registered zones are Big Rivers, Central Ranges, Hunter Valley, Northern Rivers, Northern Slopes, South Coast, Southern New South Wales and Western Plains, with regions including Riverina, Murray Darling, Perricoota, Swan Hill, Cowra, Mudgee, Orange, Hunter, Hastings River, New England Australia, Shoalhaven Coast, Southern Highlands, Canberra District, Gundagai, Hilltops and Tumbarumba, and the sub-regions Broke Fordwich, Pokolbin and Upper Hunter Valley within Hunter. Wine Australia estimated the 2026 New South Wales crush at 375,603 tonnes, down 22 per cent on 2025; in the survey's reported tonnes, Riverina returned 204,506 tonnes and Murray Darling and Swan Hill NSW 112,942 tonnes.
• Queensland: the state's registered regions are Granite Belt and South Burnett. Wine Australia records Granite Belt vineyards at more than 1000 metres above sea level, centred on the town of Stanthorpe. Queensland's crush fell 21 per cent in 2026, and the reported tonnes in the National Vintage Report 2026 were 540 for the state, of which Granite Belt accounted for 531.
• South Australia: the registered zones are Adelaide, a super zone that includes Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu and Barossa, plus Barossa, Far North, Fleurieu, Limestone Coast, Lower Murray, Mount Lofty Ranges and The Peninsulas; regions include Barossa Valley, Eden Valley with the High Eden sub-region, Southern Flinders Ranges, Currency Creek, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Southern Fleurieu, Coonawarra, Mount Benson, Mount Gambier, Padthaway, Robe, Wrattonbully, Riverland, Adelaide Hills with the Lenswood and Piccadilly Valley sub-regions, Adelaide Plains and Clare Valley. Wine Australia estimated the 2026 South Australian crush at 658,087 tonnes, down 12 per cent on 2025 and 52 per cent of the national crush; in reported tonnes the Riverland returned 339,195 tonnes, Barossa Valley 41,972 and McLaren Vale 27,645.
• Tasmania: Tasmania is a registered GI in its own right, and Wine Australia's table of Australian GIs lists no separate regions or sub-regions under it. Wine Australia estimated the 2026 Tasmanian crush at 11,219 tonnes, down 40 per cent following two years of record crops, although still only 15 per cent below its 10-year average. The Tasmanian survey is conducted by Wine Tasmania in collaboration with Wine Australia.
• Victoria: the registered zones are Central Victoria, Gippsland, North East Victoria, North West Victoria, Port Phillip and Western Victoria, with regions including Bendigo, Goulburn Valley and its Nagambie Lakes sub-region, Heathcote, Strathbogie Ranges, Upper Goulburn, Alpine Valleys, Beechworth, Glenrowan, King Valley, Rutherglen, Murray Darling, Swan Hill, Geelong, Macedon Ranges, Mornington Peninsula, Sunbury, Yarra Valley, Grampians with the Great Western sub-region, Henty and Pyrenees. Wine Australia estimated the 2026 Victorian crush at 191,765 tonnes, down 31 per cent year-on-year; in reported tonnes Murray Darling and Swan Hill VIC returned 124,375 tonnes and King Valley 16,783.
• Western Australia: the registered zones are Central Western Australia, Eastern Plains - Inland and North of Western Australia, Greater Perth, South West Australia and West Australian South East Coastal, with regions including Peel, Perth Hills, Swan District and its Swan Valley sub-region, Blackwood Valley, Geographe, Great Southern with the Albany, Denmark, Frankland River, Mount Barker and Porongurup sub-regions, Manjimup, Margaret River and Pemberton. Wine Australia estimated the 2026 Western Australian crush at 28,378 tonnes, down 33 per cent year-on-year; in reported tonnes Margaret River returned 17,133 tonnes and Great Southern 4,206.

In Wine Australia's National Vintage Report 2026 the estimated national crush of 1,265,671 tonnes divided into 669,445 tonnes of white varieties and 596,226 tonnes of red, white's share rising six percentage points to 53 per cent, its highest share since 2012. Chardonnay was the largest single variety at 288,183 tonnes and 23 per cent of the national crush, its crush almost identical to 2025, while Shiraz fell 35 per cent to 234,377 tonnes and 19 per cent, the first time in 15 years that Shiraz has dropped below a 20 per cent share. Cabernet Sauvignon followed at 156,612 tonnes and 12 per cent, Sauvignon Blanc at 107,719 tonnes and 9 per cent, Pinot Gris and Grigio at 76,721 tonnes and 6 per cent, Merlot at 56,156 tonnes and Pinot Noir at 47,276 tonnes, both at 4 per cent. Muscat Gordo Blanco returned 39,010 tonnes, Semillon 34,641 and Colombard 30,135. The top 10 red and top 10 white varieties together accounted for 94 per cent of the 2026 crush. Respondents reported a further 70 red and 60 white varieties making up the remaining 6 per cent, or 81,452 tonnes. Among those smaller varieties Nebbiolo increased by 6 per cent and Nero d'Avola fell 1 per cent, while Fiano was down 1 per cent, Prosecco down 2 per cent and Muscat à Petits Grains Blancs up 1 per cent.

• Chardonnay: 288,183 tonnes in 2026, 23 per cent of the national crush (Wine Australia)
• Shiraz: 234,377 tonnes in 2026, 19 per cent of the national crush, down 35 per cent on 2025 (Wine Australia)
• Cabernet Sauvignon 156,612 tonnes and Sauvignon Blanc 107,719 tonnes in 2026 (Wine Australia)
• The top 10 reds and top 10 whites made up 94 per cent of the 2026 crush; a further 70 red and 60 white varieties made up 81,452 tonnes

According to Wine Australia, the 2026 Australian winegrape crush was estimated at 1.27 million tonnes, the smallest in more than 25 years, 19 per cent lower than the 2025 vintage of 1.57 million tonnes and 25 per cent below the 10-year average for 2016 to 2025 of 1.69 million tonnes. South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria together accounted for 97 per cent of the crush. The total value of the 2026 crush was estimated at $837 million, and the weighted average value for purchased grapes was $570 per tonne, down 6 per cent on 2025. The report drew on 667 respondents to the National Vintage Survey 2026, whose reported 1,102,511 tonnes were estimated to account for 87 per cent of the total Australian crush. On exports, Wine Australia reports that in the year ended June 2026 export value fell 7 per cent to $2.30 billion and volume fell 6 per cent to 598 million litres, the first time export volume has fallen below 600 million litres since 2004, with average value down 1 per cent to $3.84 per litre FOB. Mainland China remained the largest export market by value despite exports declining 15 per cent to $756 million, the United Kingdom remained the largest market by volume, and Canada was a growth market with export value up 20 per cent to $188 million. Wine Australia states that Australia has over 1000 wine exporters sending tens of thousands of different wines to over 100 destinations worldwide. The OIV, on its own basis, put Australian wine exports at 6.1 mhl and 1.3 bn EUR in 2025 and the Australian domestic wine market at 5.3 mhl, tenth globally.

• According to Wine Australia, the 2026 crush was an estimated 1.27 million tonnes, the smallest in more than 25 years
• According to Wine Australia, the 2026 crush was valued at $837 million, with purchased grapes averaging $570 per tonne
• According to Wine Australia, exports in the year ended June 2026 were $2.30 billion and 598 million litres
• According to the OIV, Australian wine exports were 6.1 mhl and 1.3 bn EUR in 2025

Primary sources (Wine Australia and the Federal Register of Legislation): https://www.wineaustralia.com/labelling/register-of-protected-gis-and-other-terms, https://www.wineaustralia.com/about-us, https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/national-vintage-report, https://www.wineaustralia.com/labelling/register-of-protected-gis-and-other-terms/australian-wine-geographical-indications, https://www.wineaustralia.com/labelling/register-of-protected-gis-and-other-terms/geographical-indications, https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/grape-wine-production, https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/australian-wine-exports, https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/9728b50a-e9ff-4360-8cb6-3f72e00cbdd9/MI-Export-Report-MAT-June-2026.pdf, https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/416ecb9f-3c52-46b3-b069-fd12cc18d84e/MI_VintageReport2026_summary_F.pdf, https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A02362/latest/text, https://www.wineaustralia.com/labelling/register-of-protected-gis-and-other-terms/geographical-indications-committee, https://www.wineaustralia.com/growing-making/environment-and-climate, https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/598f7973-7adc-4706-be7e-54e5e35dac13/DIGI_Web_Discover-booklet-E.pdf, https://www.wineaustralia.com/growing-making/environment-and-climate/climate-atlas. Secondary source: https://www.oiv.int/sites/default/files/2026-05/OIV-State_of_the_World_Wine_Sector_in_2025.pdf. Last verified 2026-09-16