Australian wine industry has until 25 September to shape export rulebook review

Australia's grape growers, winemakers and exporters have until 25 September 2026 to lodge written submissions to the independent review of the Wine Australia Regulations 2018, the rulebook that governs how wine and grape products are described, labelled and exported. Wine Australia said the industry had less than two weeks left to comment when it issued its reminder, a deadline also reported by The Shout and Mirage News.

What the Regulations cover

The Wine Australia Regulations support the operation of the Wine Australia Act 2013. According to Wine Australia, they govern the description, labelling and export of wine and grape products, help implement Australia's international obligations, support overseas market access and protect the reputation of Australian wine. For exporters, this is the administrative layer behind every consignment that leaves the country: export approval, product description and label compliance.

The review is being conducted by Jason Duldig of Dixon&King, appointed by Wine Australia. Its findings will inform advice to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on three questions: whether the Regulations remain fit for purpose, whether they are still required, and whether any changes should be considered before the instrument automatically sunsets on 1 April 2028.

Ned Hewitson, Wine Australia's General Manager Regulation and General Counsel, said the export controls contained in the Regulations “have underpinned the success of the Australian wine industry for nearly 100 years, evolving over time to contemplate technological improvements, remove redundant provisions, simplify language and improve ease of navigation and administration”.

“The Regulations review is about understanding what's working, what's not, and whether changes may be needed to ensure Australia's regulatory framework remains fit for purpose into the future,” Hewitson said. “It is fundamentally essential that the review is informed by the wine industry and the practical experiences of the businesses that interact with these arrangements every day.”

Four processes running at the same time

Wine Australia said the Regulations review is one of four separate legislative and regulatory processes currently under way that may affect the grape and wine sector:

• the independent review of the Wine Australia Regulations 2018, with written submissions closing on 25 September 2026;
• two lawmaking processes led by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on a mandatory Code of Conduct for Winegrape Purchases — the first of them, the Wine and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, passed both houses of Parliament and was assented to on 15 September 2026;
• a departmental consultation on future arrangements for protecting wine geographical indications (GIs), in line with Australia's commitments under the Australia–EU Free Trade Agreement.

Hewitson said industry participants should understand that while the processes are occurring at a similar time, they are separate consultations focused on different issues. “These consultations cover a range of issues and they are separate processes, but each provides an opportunity for industry to provide input into the way that it may be regulated in the future,” he said.

Geographical indications and the EU agreement

Australia's GI framework was introduced in the early 1990s and provides protections around the regional origin of Australian wines. Wine Australia said the framework fosters positive consumer perception regarding the quality and provenance of Australian wine, and that the departmental review gives industry an opportunity to say how it wants that framework to look in future. A discussion paper has been published for the GI consultation.

The GI process has the clearest external driver of the four: Australia's commitments under the Australia–EU Free Trade Agreement. For producers whose marketing rests on regional provenance, the design of the framework determines how those claims are defined and protected in export markets.

What happens after 25 September

Submissions lodged by 25 September 2026 will feed into Duldig's findings, which go to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as advice on the future of the Regulations. The sunset date of 1 April 2028 sets the outer limit, since the instrument ceases to have effect on that date unless it is remade — so the practical question for industry is what any replacement framework should contain. Wine Australia, established under the Wine Australia Act 2013 as a Commonwealth statutory authority, is funded through grapegrower, winemaker and exporter levies and user-pays charges, with matching Australian Government funds for research and innovation. Details of the discussion paper and how to make a submission are available on the Wine Australia website.