Monday 7 November 2005
Winemakers squash report
By Wine Atlas, Monday 7 November 2005 :: Wine - Australia
THE Hunter Valley wine industry has sniffed, swished and spat out a report that says its wines are the most profitable in Australia.
Local experts say the industry is straining under intense competition from supermarkets and most of its wineries are financially threadbare.
The annual financial benchmarking survey for the wine industry, released by Deloitte last week, found the Hunter region kept the highest proportion of its revenue as gross earnings, at 23 per cent.
South Australia's Mt Lofty region was the least profitable, with just 8 per cent of its revenue as earnings.
Earnings in the Barossa Valley and the Fleurieu Peninsula, both in SA, were 16.5 and 15.9 per cent respectively.
