In vino veritas: Australia wrestles with wine glut

Falling consumption among young, thirst for quality fuels change at wineries

20240625 vine excavator

An excavator digs up vines near the town of Griffith in southeast Australia. © Reuters

RURIKA IMAHASHI and KANA WATANABE, Nikkei staff writers

SYDNEY/ISTANBUL -- Australia is swimming in historically high amounts of wine. France is paying vintners to turn the fruit of their labor into ethanol for perfume and rubbing alcohol.

These are just two symptoms of a worldwide wine glut. Globally, consumption was down 7% in 2023 from its peak in 2017. Young people are cutting back on alcohol consumption, while people who still enjoy a drink are turning to higher quality wines. Winemakers and others in the industry are trying to adjust to changing consumer tastes.

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