Backing South Australia's wine sector

The Australian and South Australian Governments continue to support South Australian grape growers and wine makers diversify sales and boost their long-term productivity and sustainability, with the SA Wine Recovery Program extended to 2027.

Backed by $3.1 million in federal funding, the extended program will continue to support South Australia’s wine industry to recover from adverse events and market disruptions experienced in recent years.

This includes supporting a third round of the Resting Vineyard Rebate – supporting growers to temporarily rest parts of their vineyard to cut production costs and buy some time to evaluate and make decisions on future viability of vineyards.

This builds on existing streams of the program that will be extended, which focus on improving vineyard waste management, domestic market demand building initiatives, and boosting regional grape and wine capability.

This includes helping to find safe and sustainable solutions for the disposal of the growing stockpile of Copper Chrome Arsenate treated posts.

Support to increase the uptake of sustainability credentials to help SA wine businesses boost their efficiency and lower their emissions will be extended – with this stream already supporting 75 wine businesses across the state.

With Australian domestic consumers the largest market for local grape growers and wine makers, the extended program will also include a 12-month campaign to support raising the profile of South Australia’s wines.

South Australia produces 80 per cent of Australia’s premium wine and 50 per cent of all bottled wine, with more than 397 million litres of wine exported overseas in 2024-25 – worth $1.8 billion.

The SA Wine Recovery Program has been developed following recommendations made by the Viticulture and Wine Sector Working Group, established by Agriculture Ministers, with further input from the South Australian Wine Industry Association and Wine Grape Council of South Australia.

It is part of a range of measures being delivered by both the Australian and South Australian Governments to assist grape growers and wine producers recover from adverse conditions.

This includes the Albanese Government’s $4.6 million Grape and Wine Sector Long-term Viability Support Package, which is supporting diversification opportunities for grape growers and wine producers across the country.

The Albanese Government also recently committed an additional $30 million to support a further three rounds of the Wine Tourism and Cellar Door Grant Program to help attract visitors to Australian wine regions, with over $3.8 million delivered to 76 businesses in South Australia in the most recent round.