Australia's 2026 winegrape crush fell to 1.27 million tonnes – its smallest since 2000 – but the reduced national crop did not result in stronger grape prices according to Wine Australia's National Vintage Report 2026 released today.
The national crush is estimated to be 1.27 million tonnes, down 300,000 tonnes (19 per cent) from the 2025 crush and 25 per cent below its 10-year average of 1.69 million tonnes. This equates to around 33 million fewer 9-litre cases of wine.
Wine Australia Manager, Market Insights Peter Bailey said that this year's crush reflected both seasonal pressures and a broader response to changed consumer demand.
"A number of significant seasonal challenges, including flooding in the inland regions, had an impact on production, but the main driver of this lower crush is a deliberate adjustment in response to changing market conditions," Mr Bailey said.
"There have now been four vintages in a row below the long-term average, suggesting an underlying reset in the tonnage of grapes required by winemakers to meet changing global demand."
Chart 1 Australian winegrape crush 2016–2026
White grapes' share of crush increases
Overall, the 2026 crush was 306,334 tonnes smaller than 2025, with red varieties accounting for 80 per cent of the decrease. The crush of red grapes was down by 243,560 tonnes (29 per cent) year-on-year, to be the smallest red crush since 2000.
Conversely, the crush of white grapes declined by a more modest 62,774 tonnes (9 per cent), resulting in a big jump in white's share of the total crush – up six percentage points to 53 per cent. This is only the second time in the past 12 years that whites have accounted for the majority of the crush.
Mr Bailey said this shift was likely a reflection of changing global consumer preferences toward white wine.
"Globally, red wine has declined at twice the rate of white wine since 2017 and is now nearly 450 million cases lower than it was in that year, according to the IWSR," Mr Bailey said. "The flow-on effect is that demand for red grapes in Australia has reduced by more than for whites."
Reduction in crush is widespread and consistent
The crush declined in a relatively even manner across all states and major regions.
Mr Bailey noted that over the past five years, the combined crush from the cool / temperate regions has closely matched that of the largest inland region (the South Australian Riverland) – despite the differences in terms of seasonal effects, grape and wine specifications and demand drivers.
"This shows that the global market conditions affect all regions, even if the individual circumstances are different."
Chart 2 Crush over time from warm inland and cool / temperate regions
Grape prices soften further despite small crush
The average value of purchased grapes in 2026 was $570 per tonne, down 6 per cent compared with 2025. The reduction in overall average purchase value was seen across warm inland and cool / temperate regions, and for both reds and whites. Cool / temperate reds and whites were both down by 3 per cent year-on-year, while across the warm inland regions, reds were down by 1 per cent and whites down by 12 per cent.
Mr Bailey noted that the drop in average values across the board had occurred despite the very low crush size, which is expected to take pressure off wine stocks.
"There has been no improvement in grape prices, which suggests that demand is still very soft," Mr Bailey said. "It's concerning that there is no sign of recovery for reds despite such a significant adjustment, and that prices for whites are also now declining."
Chart 3 Average value for purchased grapes by colour and location over time
Mr Bailey noted that the sector will need to consider the size of the supply base that it will require to meet future market demand.
"Current sales of Australian wine on the domestic and export markets equate to around one billion litres, or approximately 1.4 million tonnes," he explained. "This could probably be achieved with a total vineyard area of less than 1 million hectares – about two-thirds of what we estimate our current supply base to be."
However, Mr Bailey warned that there is also a risk of over-correction because the sector doesn't yet have reliable data on vineyard plantings and removals. "When the National Vineyard Register is complete, this will help the sector to make decisions and adjustments that better align supply with demand."
The National Vintage Report is available on Wine Australia's website. Vintage survey statistics, including regional winegrape pricing, are available on Wine Australia's Vintage Survey dashboard. The Grape Price Indicators dashboard for inland regions has also been updated with the latest data. The annual Production, Sales and Inventory Report, which puts the crush data into the context of wine production and sales and includes a measure of stocks-to-sales ratios, is published annually in late November.
