Australia's wine exports are growing strongly as consumers worldwide demand a higher-quality drop, especially in China.
Wine exports grew by 13 per cent to $2.44 billion in the year to September 30, and volumes rose nine per cent to 799 million litres, according to industry group Wine Australia's latest annual export report.
Wine Australia chief executive Andreas Clark said the average value of bottled exports rose by one per cent to $5.53 per litre.
Exports of premium wines priced above $10 per litre grew by 23 per cent to a record $672 million.
"This growth reflects increasing demand for premium Australian wines in most regions around the world, where consumers are trading up to higher-value products across a range of categories," Mr Clark said in a statement.
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Red wine accounted for 74 per cent of export value.
The top export market was mainland China, which accounted for 30 per cent of total export value, followed by the US, UK, Canada and Hong Kong.
Wine Australia said the value of exports to mainland China rose 56 per cent to a record $739 million.
That was driven by strong consumer demand, and exporters shipping directly to mainland China instead of Hong Kong now that tariffs have been reduced under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
The top five markets by volume were the UK, which had a 28 per cent share, followed by the US, mainland China, Canada and Germany.
Australian win is exported to 124 countries, and the value of exports rose in 82 of those.
