NSW Wine Industry - An Overview

New South Wales is Australia's second largest wine producing state, accounting for nearly one third of the nation's output.

Consumption is growing in domestic and export markets with significant upside in premium, fast growing Asian markets. In the end, the NSW wine industry makes a significant economic contribution in terms of production, export, agritourism, wholesale, retail, hospitality, business turnover and jobs created.

Things you didn't know about NSW Wine

• The first vines in Australia were planted at Sydney Cove [now the
  site of Intercontinental Sydney]
• NSW is home to Australia’s oldest continuous wine region (Hunter
  Valley), and one of the newest (New England), which was only declared an
  official wine region in January 2008.
• Australia’s two most popular wine varieties – Chardonnay and Shiraz,
  both had their start in NSW. Shiraz was first planted by John Macarthur on
  his vineyard in Camden in 1833; and Chardonnay was first made by Mudgee
  pioneer Alf Kurtz in 1862.
• Family businesses dominate the NSW wine industry, accounting for
  more than 75% of the total crush (only 33% of the national wine crush is
  from family businesses).
• NSW is Australia’s second largest wine producing state, accounting
  for 32% of Australia’s $44 billion wine industry.
• NSW is home to two of Australia’s icon wine styles namely, Semillon
  from the Hunter Valley and Botrytis Semillon from the Riverina.
• NSW is home to 7 of Australia's Top 20 Wine Exporters: Casella,
  McGuigan, De Bortoli, Nugan Estate, McWilliams, Warburn Estate, and Berton.
• NSW is home to 8 of Australia’s Top 20 wine producers by vineyard
  area: McGuigan, Warburn, McWilliams, De Bortoli, Nugan Estate, Cumulus.
  Robert Oatley and Gooree Park
• There are 14 official wine regions solely in NSW: Canberra District,
  Cowra, Gundagai, Hastings River, Hilltops, Hunter Valley, Mudgee, New
  England, Orange, Perricoota, Riverina, Shoalhaven Coast, Southern
  Highlands, Tumbarumba. (The Murray Darling and Swan Hill wine regions also cross in to NSW, making 16 wine regions in total)
• NSW is home to 5 of Australia’s 20 oldest wine companies and/or
  continuously operating wine brands: Wyndham Estate 1828; Lindemans 1843;
  Drayton’s Family Wines 1853; Mudgee Wines 1856 and Tyrrell’s 1858.
• In 1983 NSW had 76 wine producers, today is has 484+ wine producers.
• NSW is home to over 370 cellar doors.