Wine Australia has cancelled the export licence held by Jindalee Road Wines, which operates out of the Murray Darling in NSW.

Wine Australia’s Label Integrity Program investigation found that Jindalee Road Wines had failed to meet its record-keeping obligations established by the Wine Australia Act 2013.

Wine cannot be exported from Australia without an export licence issued by Wine Australia.

There are no concerns about health or safety for consumers of the wine. However, Wine Australia said wine label claims in relation to vintage, variety and region strongly influence people’s purchasing decisions.

“The licence cancellation reflects Wine Australia’s commitment to ensuring that consumers worldwide can be confident that label claims reflect what is in the bottle,” Wine Australia said.

Jindalee Road Wines may make an application to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of the decision to cancel its export licence in accordance with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975.

Wine Australia said it was not able to comment further as the matter was subject to an ongoing investigation. Wine Australia has only suspended or cancelled eight licences in the past ten years, including Jindalee Road Wines. 

Jindalee Road Wines describes itself as the biggest Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio grower in Australia. 

Difficult year for Jindalee Wines

The cancellation adds to the Mildura winemaker’s woes, which saw the company and its former manager fined a total of almost $500,000 in March 2024 for illegally tapping into a pipeline and stealing water. 

David Littore and Jindalee Road Wines faced the NSW Land and Environment Court on numerous charges of breaching the Water Management Act.

The court heard that just under 365 megalitres of water was illegally taken between 2016 and 2019. The water had a market value of up to $305,000 at the time.

The company was convicted and fined $326,500, while Littore was convicted and ordered to pay $172,500.

The defendants also agreed to pay costs of $95,000 to the Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR), which brought the legal action.

In a statement, Jindalee Road Wines said the company and its office bearers were “embarrassed, ashamed and sincerely regret what occurred” and that it entered guilty pleas at the earliest possible date.

“The court accepted that when the matters came to attention, the office holders engaged with NRAR’s investigators, provided frank accounts to the investigators, did not seek to avoid responsibility, and purchased the water on the market and immediately replaced what was unmetered,” it said.