“Today`s deal means UK consumers will get an even wider selection of Australian wines when they visit their local supermarket in the coming months and years or don`t have a licence or enjoy a meal in a pub or restaurant.” Not only is the UK a major stronghold market for Australian wine, especially for big brands like Jacob`s Creek, where we need to continue to support and invest in the future, but it is also an excellent source of Scotch whisky and gin, two important growth categories in the Australian domestic spirits market.” he noted. Philip Gregan, CEO of New Zealand Winegrowers, said: “The agreement is very positive for the New Zealand wine industry. We expect the agreement to represent significant progress for wine, including a specific annex on wine. According to the Uk Wine & Spirit Trade Association, the equivalent of 230 million bottles of Australian wine worth £1.5 billion were sold in UK stores and supermarkets in 2020. Over the past three decades, the UK has become a major global wine hub in the international wine trade, serving markets in Europe and beyond. Now and in the future, the nascent Free Trade Agreement has the potential not only to chart a new course in global wine trade for global Britain, but also to provide opportunities for development and growth as a centre of excellence in winemaking, particularly through carbonation, blending and sweetening of wine imports at facilities across the UK. After the UK`s withdrawal from the EU, the free trade agreement offers the UK the opportunity to develop its own national wine policy and better compete with wines from the EU and beyond. The FTA is not only an opportunity to reduce the tariffs that Australia and the United Kingdom have agreed, it is also an excellent opportunity to remove non-tariff barriers to trade. “The UK is an incredibly important market for Australian grape and wine companies, and UK consumers are among Australia`s most enthusiastic wine lovers,” said Tony Battaglene, Managing Director of Grape Australian & Wine.

Prior to Brexit, provisional “continuity agreements” had been signed with several countries to essentially reflect existing EU agreements, but the UK has negotiated more formal trade agreements. He added: “The UK is New Zealand`s second largest wine export market, with exports worth over $400 million in the last 12 months. The agreement will remove trade barriers and remove tariffs on New Zealand wine exports to the UK, making a big difference for many in our industry. There have been unconfirmed reports of a tax change that could offer some benefits to English sparkling wine. However, several factors can affect the price and availability of some wines. From world-class Australian red wines to tender white wines, sparkling wines and fortified dessert wines, a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the UK and Australia will offer British consumers an even wider choice of quality Australian wines at different prices in shops, pubs and restaurants. In the short term, all eyes in the British wine trade will also be on Chancellor Rishi Sunak`s budget announcement next week, on 27 October. “We hope that the final text of the agreement will address a number of costs and barriers that Australian wine exporters currently face in the UK. We know there is still work to be done on the details, but the removal of tariffs is crucial for our sector.

Other areas where we look forward to making progress are simpler certification requirements and improvements in our ability to further process and package Australian wines in the UK market, which will drive innovation, create jobs here and in the UK and reduce our carbon footprint. “This historic announcement is worth celebrating with a glass of your favourite Australian wine. “This is also good news for importers, as it will strengthen the UK as a global wine trade hub and ultimately also benefit UK consumers,” Beale added. The agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on the mutual recognition of certain distilled spirits will continue the recognition of the names Scotch Whisky, Irish Whisky, Tennessee Whisky, Bourbon Whisky and Bourbon in bilateral trade after the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU. The United Kingdom was the largest export market for distilled spirits in the United States in 2017 with a total volume of US$187 million. “We look forward to working closely with the Australian government on the home stretch as they work on the final technical details of the agreement.” “Pernod Ricard Winemakers welcomes this agreement and the positive economic impact on our business in both markets.” The organisation welcomed the announcement that Australia and the UK have reached an agreement in principle on a bilateral free trade agreement [FTA]. Australian wine has long been a favourite of British consumers. Its share of non-retail in the UK is just over 20% in volume and value, up 8% and 10% respectively over the past 12 months. Total imports of Australian wine amounted to around £290 million in 2020, making it the UK`s largest food and beverage import. As the UK has been an important strategic market for Australian wine for decades and the most important in terms of value, there have been significant investments in the UK, and many major Australian wine suppliers now fill a significant part of their portfolio in the UK, creating jobs directly and throughout the supply chain.

In mid-June, after a year of intense negotiations, the UK and Australia signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding that paved the way for the first post-Brexit Free Trade Agreement (FTA). For the wine industry, this is a real opportunity to bring benefits to UK consumers and create economic opportunities here in the UK. After the last 18 months, marked by Covid-19 and Brexit, it is time to look positively to the future and a post-Brexit chapter in the global wine trade. Washington, D.C – On January 31, 2019, Ambassador Gregg Doud, USTR Chief Negotiator for Agriculture, and Ambassador Kim Darroch, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United States, today signed two agreements on distilled wine and spirits to ensure that trade in these products between the United States and the United Kingdom is not disrupted when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union (EU). Currently, the United States has agreements with the European Union on distilled wine and spirits, covering trade with the United Kingdom due to its membership in the EU. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) welcomed the deal, which removes a 5% tariff on the industry`s eighth-largest market. The U.S.-U.K. Wine Trade Agreement, which includes obligations regarding winemaking processes and labelling requirements, will ensure market continuity for bilateral wine trade. The UK was the fourth largest export market for US wine products in 2017 with a value of US$227 million. The deal is good news for Australian winemakers and winemakers looking to diversify their export presence and grow in the coming years. “What we have seen today is a commitment by the Australian and British governments to conclude a trade agreement that will benefit the economies of both countries and facilitate the export of our world-class wines to the UK,” Battaglene noted.

“The value of Australian wine exports to the UK increased by 33% to $461 million in the year ending March 31, 2021, more than 17% of the total value of our exports during this period, and there is plenty of room for growth in the coming years.” “High-quality New Zealand products loved by British consumers, from Sauvignon Blanc wine to Manuka honey to kiwis, could be cheaper to buy,” the government said. As a global winery, Accolade Wines is considering the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement to open up the business environment in both countries, including the introduction of new winemaking practices in the UK. B such as carbonation to produce sparkling wine, which will benefit consumers and businesses throughout the supply chain. We estimate this would result in additional net sales of £200 million of sparkling products over the next five years and contribute an additional £20 million to the Treasury. Not only would this result in more Australian wine available to UK consumers, creating value and more jobs in the UK throughout the supply chain, but it would also position the UK as one of the pre-eminent centres of winemaking in Europe. .