India, July 17 -- Australia's winegrape crush dropped to 1.27 million tonnes in 2026, marking its smallest harvest since 2000, according to Wine Australia's National Vintage Report 2026. Despite the significantly lower production, grape prices remained under pressure, highlighting continued weakness in domestic and global wine demand.

The 2026 crush was down 300,000 tonnes (19 per cent) from the 2025 vintage and stood 25 per cent below the 10-year average of 1.69 million tonnes. The reduced harvest equates to approximately 33 million fewer 9-litre cases of wine.

According to Peter Bailey, Manager - Market Insights at Wine Australia, while seasonal challenges such as flooding in inland wine-growing regions affected production, the primar...