South Australia has become the first of the Australian States and Territories to implement international wine labelling requirements, which came in to effect in November, 2007, and have been estimated to offer the South Australian wine industry savings of $12.75 million a year.
The new regulations allow winemakers to display the measurement statement anywhere on a wine container, except the base, as long as it is clearly visible together with the country of origin, alcohol content and product description.
Winemakers exporting product overseas, particularly to those countries that have already implemented the requirements, will see a significant saving through being able to use one label for both overseas and local markets.
The European Union has already embraced the requirements and will be followed by other countries under the World Wine Trade Group agreement, signed by Australia in Canberra, in 2007.
South Australian winemakers will have the choice of abiding by the labelling standards or continuing to meet the rules of the local market.
The changes made by the SA government were driven by the SA wine industry’s desire to reduce red tape for winemakers who, in some instances, might have to print a number of different labels to accommodate the requirements of the countries their wine is destined for.
A South Australian Wine Industry Association spokesperson estimated that 60% of the SA wine industry exports product overseas, so the change in legislation will benefit a significant portion of winemakers in the state.
South Australian winemakers will have the choice of abiding by the labelling standards or continuing to meet the rules of the local market.
South Australian Wine Industry Association