Australian wine export volumes have fallen below 600 million litres for the first time since 2004, but one varietal is bucking the trend: pinot grigio/gris.

According to Wine Australia’s latest Export Report, it was the only variety to see growth in the year ending June 2026. Australia’s number one export varietal, shiraz, was down 8%, while chardonnay fell by 12%, cabernet sauvignon lost 4% and merlot plummeted 13%. Pinot gris exports, on the other hand, rose by 16% to 51 million litres.

Pinot Grigio has become into one of Australia’s most popular white wine styles over the last 10 years, driven by consumer demand for crisp, food-friendly options.

The varietal was brought to Australia in 1832 as Pineau Gris from the Cote-d’Or by the father of Australian viticulture, James Busby. However, it had to wait another 150 years or so before it became an ‘instant sensation’ when Pinot Grigio pioneers Kathleen Quealy and Kevin McCarthy launched T’Gallant Wines. They recognised that the cool climate of the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria was the perfect place to grow the grape and that consumers were looking for something new.

“I remember walking into the Dog’s Bar in St Kilda and showing that wine to Don [Fitzpatrick, the owner],” McCarthy told the Australian Financial Review in 2022. “Don went, ‘Fark, that’s good,’ and started pouring it for everyone in the bar.”

While pinot grigio once battled a poor perception among Australian wine critics, the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion Awards rated 29 wines with scores of 95 or above and noted that “once upon a time it might have seemed unimaginable” for so many to be rated so highly.

Halliday Tasting Manager Katrina Butler said: “With each passing year, the quality of pinot gris/grigio submissions grows, as do the many and varied styles produced. This category has firmly cemented its worthiness of a place on the pages of the Halliday Wine Companion.”

Wine Companion’s current winner of Pinot Gris/Grigio of the Year is Tar & Roses 2024 Pinot Grigio.

The Drinks Business also praised Australian wines in its recent Global Pinot Gris Masters 2026, saying the varietal offered “uncomplicated drinkability at sensible prices”.

Patricia Stefanowicz MW said Pinot Gris is often associated with undemanding wines, but in the right hands it is capable of producing something magical.

Stefanowicz and her fellow judges said they found real excitement at £15–£20, with De Bortoli’s Blue Pinot Gris 2023 described as offering “exceptional value for money in today’s marketplace”.

Riversdale Estate’s unoaked Pinot Gris from Tasmania also achieved Gold in the £30–£50 category.

Silver medals went to Taylors Wines Estate Pinot Gris and The Aromantiques Pinot Gris.

Winning streak for white wines globally

According to Wine Searcher, white wine is on a winning streak globally and now accounts for 49% of all wine made.

“Glugs are up 57.5% in the US, 29.3% in Australia and 20.3% in the UK,” the site reports.

Why? Inter Beaujolais general delegate Olivier Badoureaux told Wine Searcher that whites, in general, are naturally lower in alcohol and appeal to Millennials and Gen Z who “often enter the wine category” through whites.

“They drink them in more casual contexts and they use whites as a way to discover an appellation they might not have explored before,” he said.

Even traditionally red wine-focused markets such as China are embracing whites. During the week between Christmas 2025 to New Year’s Day, sales of white wine surged by 100 per cent year-on-year on China’s largest instant retail platform, Meituan.

White wine has gained popularity among young Chinese consumers over the past two years, particularly women, due to its lighter characteristics.