The number of Australian wine producers continues to grow, despite the widespread concerns over an over-supply of grapes and an ever-increasing amount of unsold wine. There are now more than 2,000 wine-producing companies in Australia, according to the 24th annual Australian & New Zealand Wine Industry Directory published by Winetitles, reports the industry website, www.winebiz.com.au.

The number of Australian wine producers listed in the Directory now stands at 2,008, up from 1,899 listed in 2005. The first Directory, published in 1983, listed only 344 wine producers.

"In the past 10 years, the Directory has seen an average net gain of about 107 wine producers a year. The number of wine companies has doubled since 1998 when there were 998 companies," said Directory Editor Michael Major. "Over the past three years a new wine producer has opened for business every 69 hours."

The market challenges for Australian wine producers is emphasised by the statistics that show the top 20 companies accounting for 85% of total sales of branded wines by volume leaving the remaining 1,988 companies to compete for the remaining 15%. The export market is dominated by six wine companies who contribute to 77% of all exports.

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