The wine industry’s own predictions of export growth are significant enough, but pale next to those of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), which suggests that export sales will pass A$3 billion within twelve months and reach A$4.2 billion by 2007/2008. The wine industry more conservatively expects exports to have reached A$3.4 billion by 2010. Given that it is quite possible that the A$3 billion mark will actually be reached sometime within the next twelve months, the industry might have to take another look at its figures. The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation’s manager of information and analysis, Lawrie Stanford, makes the point that whatever growth is achieved will fly in the face of subdued global demand for wine; an increase in premium wine supply by overseas producers; higher exchange rates; global consolidation by producers and supply chains; and increased subsidies to EU producers to increase their competitiveness based on quality.
