Australia’s national association of grape and wine producers has released a long-term plan to help grape and wine businesses navigate these challenging times and maintain sustainability and profitability in the future.
Vision 2050, the strategy developed by Australian Grape & Wine, in collaboration with Wine Australia, emphasizes the continued promotion of the country as a reliable fine wine producer with the effect of elevating Australian wine across all price points, and at the same time recognizing the need for continuous innovations in the vineyard, in the winery and distribution.
According to Wine Australia, the country is the sixth largest producer and the fifth largest exporter of wine, with exports worth about $2.8 billion. There are estimated to be 2468 wineries and 6251 grapegrowers employing 163,790 full and part-time employees across 65 winegrowing regions in Australia, contributing over $45 billion annually to the Australian economy.
“We must maintain, and consolidate, Australia’s position as, arguably, the world leader in vine and wine research and education. The importance of investing in our young people cannot be overstated,” said Australian Grape & Wine Chairman Sandy Clark in the foreword of Vision 2050. It can be read in full here.
Meanwhile Tony Battaglene, Chief Executive of Australian Grape & Wine, acknowledged that the strategy comes at a critical time, as business are recovering from a torrid period of drought, bushfires, smoke and COVID-19.
“Our targets for 2050 are ambitious, but Vision 2050 provides the road map to achieve them, through innovation, hard work and a great product. We can grow value at all price points across the value chain and drive prosperity in our sector and across regional Australia” said Mr Battaglene in a media release.
The Australian grape and wine sector has a strong history of successful strategies that have been put in place. Strategy 2025, which was published in 1996, was a landmark document that fostered a sense of unity and purpose in the industry. In 1997 it was reviewed and republished as Directions to 2025, and it can be said that in the last 30 years the grape and wine industry has been very successful in achieving its targets, particularly its domestic and sales forecasts.
Vision 2050 has received strong bipartisan from Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, the Hon. David Littleproud MP, and the Shadow Minister for Agriculture the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP.
“Here’s cheers to both Australian Grape and Wine and Wine Australia for mapping out a clear and exciting path to grow the sustainability and profitability of the Australian wine industry,” Minister Littleproud said in a statement.
“We produce the best wine in the world on the back of hard work, fantastic varieties and an innovative culture driving excellence from grape to consumer.”
Shadow Minister Fitzgibbon said “We all know that Australia makes the best wines in the world. But we are not without competition or challenges. We have to be on the front foot. You can’t meet all of your aspirations, no matter how good your reputation is, if you don’t have a plan or a roadmap. I congratulate Australian Grape & Wine on this document – it is a sound document, it makes sense and it sets the industry up well for the future”.
The Vision 2050 Launch Video can be found here.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
