rld wine scene, France, Italy, and Spain, control over 50% of wine exports.
Australia ranked 8th in the world in 1999 in wine sales. Australian vineyards accounted for 2.6 percent of world production. In 2000, the Australian wine industry developed a 10-year marketing strategy. To put Australia's wine production in perspective,author Gordon Murchie writes in Wines & Vines that at the end of September 2000, Australian wine exports were reported as exceeding 300 million liters, a jump of about 24% from 1999 figures. Australian red wine accounts for 51% of all export sales (Murchie 40). The Australian industry's aggressive goal is to increase annual sales to $5 billion by 2010.
The principal wine production areas are located in the south-east quarter of the Australian continent, in the states of New South Wales, central and northern Victoria and South Australia. In 2001, Shiraz was the most-produced variety, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon. The main red wine varieties other than Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon were, Merlot, Grenache and Pinot Noir. The last decade has seen spectacular growth in exports following rapidly increasing appreciation of Australian wines overseas. In 2000 to 2001, Australian wine exports were over $1.6 billion, up from $263 million in the period 1999 to 2000. The principal destinations for wine exports from Australia were the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Canada and Germany. David Combe, general manager, of Southcorp Wines is Australia's number one maker of wine.
Business Asia reports that Combe is a man with high political ties stemming back to his days in the Australian Labor Party. He has been a big factor in increasing sales into Asian countries, which has acquired a taste for red wine and its associated health benefits in recent years. The main markets for Southcorp Wines in Asia are Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
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