Australian winemakers are shifting away from shiraz, cabernet and chardonnay in favour of emerging southern Mediterranean varieties.
While traditional French varieties still dominate grapes planted, industry body Wine Australia has noticed a change.
"Unlike our European colleagues, we don't have rigid rules around what varieties can be planted in what regions," chief executive Andreas Clark told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Thursday.
"There's certainly a shift in terms of people moving towards so-called southern Mediterranean varieties."
Climate change is also having an impact on Australian winemaking, with more extreme heat over the past 10 years leading to a change in some grape picking times.
Mr Clark said many growers have observed harvest wrapping up by mid-March in regions where grapes used to be picked during April.
He said irrigation efficiency was among a host of measures producers were using to adapt to changing conditions.
Queensland Nationals senator Barry O'Sullivan argued some of the on-farm innovations were natural developments driven by cost pressures rather than climate change.
Mr Clark said he was focused on the needs of winemakers, some of whom would attribute new practices to climate change although others wouldn't.
