For the year as a whole Australia exported 646 million litres with a value of $2.7bn in the 12 months ending December 2004.

That was an increase of 20.5 per cent in volume, and 15.1 per cent in value, over the previous year, giving label printers a boost in volumes, something they are likely to celebrate at the bi-annual LATMA conference being held appropriately in the Barossa Valley in April.

However domestic sales of Australian wines dipped 1.6 per cent in December, new figures show. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) says white table wine sales were down 1.5 per cent on November, seasonally adjusted, while sales of red and rose wines fell 1 per cent.

The total domestic sales for the month of 34.3 million litres were down 0.6 per cent on December 2003.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.  

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter