Wines from NSW are being left off many Sydney wine lists. While local produce eagerly is championed, representation of local wines often falls short. NSW Wine Industry Association president Mark Bourne says only 11.2 per cent of the wines on Sydney wine lists are from NSW, while 46 per cent of the listings are imported wines from other countries, according to a report by Wine Business Solutions.

It is a sore point with vignerons across the state’s wine regions, especially given Australia’s current oversupply of wine following China trade disputes.

A report by Rabobank released last month revealed years’ worth of oversupply. Currently, there is an equivalent of 859 Olympic swimming pools worth of wine in storage at wineries across Australia. That’s more than 2.8 million bottles.

Bourne says that represents over 500 million litres of bulk wine, over normal wine storage levels.

“The number of NSW wines on lists went up to 16 per cent last year after a ‘support local’ call to action during Covid but it dropped straight back down,” Bourne says.

“It’s not a question of quality, diversity or price. We cover all of those in NSW. It’s a question of support, loyalty and pride in your own state. Regional NSW seems to get it, as do other states.”

Based on 2022 figures, Sandy Hathaway, senior analyst in market insights at Wine Australia, said that listings in South Australia strongly favour wines produced in their state, with 72 per cent being from local regions and only 10 per cent from elsewhere in Australia. Meanwhile, Melbourne’s figures sit at approximately 30 per cent of Victorian wine listings.

“Sydney is the biggest single landing point for international tourism,” Bourne says. “It is the first touchpoint of their experience in Australia. What do they get served? A lot of wine from overseas.”

“It’s a shame because if the market of five million people on our doorstep drank a bit more local wine, it would bring a lot more robustness and sustainability to our industry,” he says.

“There are 16 wine regions in NSW, we have a diversity of climates and styles at all price ranges, and we’ve got some of the oldest vineyards in the country with some of the most iconic wines. The public needs to demand it and trade needs to support it.”

There are, of course, exceptions. In Surry Hills, The Blue Door boasts a wine list with 98 per cent NSW drops. “Most of our international clientele come to us because they are craving a local experience and few other places in Sydney can give them that,” says sommelier Angelica Nohra. “Sydney is supposedly an ‘international city’ which is why we offer so much burgundy and champagne on lists but it makes no sense.”

Bryan Currie, senior winemaker at Pokolbin’s Hungerford Hill, agrees.
“My number-one bugbear is Sydney rock oysters being paired with anything but Hunter Valley semillon,” he says. “Young or old, it doesn’t matter. If you’re in France, Italy or Spain you get local wines with local produce. Quality dining establishments bang on about local produce endlessly, but they’re not using local beverages to go with it.”

Hunter Valley-based winemaker and Mercer Wines director Aaron Mercer lives and breathes these challenges. While he is the first to admit that a global palate is important, there are bigger issues at play here, one of which is sustainability. He encourages people to think deeper.

“We need to move forward and think about what sustainability looks like in the modern wine context,” Mercer says.

“Does it make environmental sense to ship stuff from the other side of the planet?” Bourne says. “In Sydney, the lowest carbon miles on a bottle of wine are from NSW producers. Let’s be responsible wine lovers.”