Massive export surge for SA wine in Canadian coup
SA winemakers are reaping the benefits of stepping into the void left by United States exporters, while local drops will continue pouring at one of the world’s most prestigious museums.
Amid ongoing wine industry gloom, local companies are tapping into a growing export market in North America with the state government announcing today that sales had grown by more than $24 million in just one year.
And a newly signed agreement will keep SA wines on display at one of the world’s most prestigious wine museums in Bordeaux, France.
Latest export figures announced today showed SA winemakers are taking over the void created by President Donald Trump imposing a raft of US tariffs that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney labelled “a very dumb thing to do”.
Canadian provinces pulled US wine from their shelves around 18 months ago and the SA Government began targeting the export market.
Canada is now SA’s third-largest wine export market, overtaking the United States and behind China and the United Kingdom.
Wine exports to Canada jumped by more than $24 million in the year to August 2026, now valued at $128 million.
And SA now accounts for 68 per cent of Australia’s total wine exports to Canada.
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SA State Development Minister Chris Picton described the growth as a “major surge”.
The SA government said it recently supported targeted promotional activities for the state’s winemakers at two of Canada’s largest wine retailers – the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB).
This included the promotion of 16 SA wines at LCBO, including Angove, Zonte’s Footsteps, Kilikanoon, Two Hands and Bleasdale.
“The state government and the local wine industry recognised an opportunity and moved quickly to get more wine on the shelves in Canada,” Picton said.
The state government recently announced it would support the wine sector with a $109 million package, including government-backed loans to help remove vines and transition the land to other agricultural uses.
This comes amid a major grape glut choking the sector, while changing consumer preferences away from wine are having an impact on the broader industry.
The total reported wine grape crush in the 2026 South Australian vintage was the smallest reported crush in the state since 2000.
And there were 1440 hectares of vines fewer than at the same time last year in SA, as growers rip up plantings as they try to save their industry by correcting an oversupply of grapes in the market that’s depressing prices across the board, particularly for red varietals.
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New deal confirms French connection
The figures come as Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven announced SA winemakers would continue to showcase their top drops at one of the world’s most prestigious wine museums – La Cité du Vin.
Located in Bordeaux, the museum has attracted more than 3.5 million global visitors since it opened 10 years ago.
The museum is an architecturally designed building that showcases the history of wine in the world’s wine capital.
The SA government signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the museum this week on the eve of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network’s International Annual Conference.
This is currently being held in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. SA winemakers and tourism operators are also in town for the Great Wine Capitals Global Awards ceremony, where the best wine tourism offerings from across the planet will be celebrated.
This includes Paulett Wines and Bush deVine Restaurant in the Clare Valley, the d’Arenberg Cube in McLaren Vale, and the now-25-year-old National Wine Centre, all of which won the 2027 SA Best of Wine Tourism Awards.
As part of the new partnership, SA winemakers will showcase their wines through tastings in the museum’s Belvedere Room, which has a 360-degree panoramic backdrop of Bordeaux.
SA has been showcasing its wines at La Cité du Vin since 2017.
SA Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Clare Scriven said the new deal “secures SA’s place in the world’s most prestigious wine museum”.
“Partnerships like this help SA share its story with new audiences, build new connections between local producers and international consumers, and support the long-term growth of our wine and tourism industries.”
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