Official data released on January 20th reveals that the value of Australian wine exports fell 5% in 2013 compared to 2012 to a value of $1.76 billion. The value of exports fell for all four of Australia’s main markets – the U.S., Britain, Canada, and China because of a strong Australian dollar and strong global competition. Total wine volume exports fell by 6% to 678 million liters. Exports to the U.S. were down by 2.5% to $440 million and exports to Britain fell by 8.2% to $369 million. Shipments to China fell 7.6% to $223 million in part because of government austerity measures limiting spending by government officials and organizations on luxury goods. Shipments to Canada fell 4.7% to a value of $174.5 million. The biggest declines were seen for exports to Sweden and Ireland which saw declines of 25.3% and 33% respectively. Not all markets saw a decrease though. Shipments to Hong Kong (not subject to Chinese government austerity measures) increased by 19.7% to $77.3 million, and exports to New Zealand increased by 6.8% to $70 million. By variety shiraz was the most popular with a value of $383 million, followed by cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay both with a value of $172 million. Over the past few months the Australian dollar has seen a decline. If continued it would prove advantageous to the Australian wine industry on the global stage.
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