A white wine was Australia's most-cellared drop in 2024

 

Australians tend to cellar much more red wine than white, but the most collected drop in 2024 was a white: Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2021 from Margaret River.

No surprise about the producer with the most bottles collected overall this year : Penfolds. 

Australia’s largest wine storage provider, Wine Ark, has catalogued the 195,000 bottles placed in its care in 2024 to reveal the most cellared wines of the past 12 months. 

The data gives insights into the tastes, trends, and the collections of some of Australia’s most-discerning wine drinkers.

With 15 facilities across five states, Wine Ark houses over one million bottles, making it the country’s premier wine storage provider.

It reported there was a 15% increase in the number of bottles placed into storage from 2023 to 2024 and that the Barossa Valley was the region making up 23.4% of the wines submitted this year. 

It was followed by Margaret River (14.8%)

Wine Ark’s John Cuff notes that the 2024 results demonstrate a growing awareness of the ageability of Australia’s biggest white wine variety, but expressed surprise at seeing Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay crowned as the most collected wine of 2024.

“Over the years, we’ve observed a marked increase in the appetite for age-worthy chardonnay," Cuff says. "However, I fully expected a red wine to take the top spot this year. 

"There are over seven chardonnays in the Top 25 wines added in 2024 including four in the top 10.”

The results also highlighted a growing preference for boutique and family wineries. Cuff noted, “It’s been a tough year for the wine trade. It’s heartening to see that the vast majority of wines purchased and stored at Wine Ark this year were produced by smaller, family-run wineries. 

"While iconic names like Leeuwin, Giaconda, and Pierro Chardonnay dominate the Top 10, I was truly blown away to see the 2022 Savaterre Chardonnay from Beechworth rank as the 7th most cellared wine of 2024.”

TOP WINES ADDED TO CELLARS

1. Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2021, 2. Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2018, 3. Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2024, 4. Mount Mary Quintet Cabernet Blend 2022, 5. Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023, 6. Giaconda Estate Chardonnay 2022, 7. Savaterre Chardonnay 2022, 8. Pierro Chardonnay 2023, 9. Standish Lamella Shiraz 2022, 10. Lake’s Folly Shiraz Merlot Petit Verdot 2022

TOP FIVE PRODUCERS ADDED TO CELLARS

1. Penfolds, 2. Rockford, 3. Tyrrells, 4. Lake’s Folly, 5. Mount Mary

TOP FIVE VARIETALS ADDED TO THE CELLARS

1. Shiraz, 2. Chardonnay, 3. Pinot Noir, 4. Cabernet Sauvignon, 5. Cabernet blends

TOP REGIONS ADDED TO THE CELLARS

1. Barossa, 2. Margaret River, 3. Hunter Valley, 4. Yarra Valley, 5. McLaren Vale

Penfolds Grange still reigns but Aussies are cellaring more and more chardonnay

Australians love to cellar their favourite wines; and Penfolds Grange remains the most collected wine in the country.

New data centred on over one million bottles cellared by Australia's largest wine storage provider, Wine Ark, has revealed the 50 most collected wines in Australia and that more chardonnays are being cellared than before.

The official listing of Wine Ark’s Most Collected Wines of 2023 shows that Penfolds Grange is Australia’s most collected wine; by state, South Australian wines are the most popular among collectors; and by region the Barossa Valley dominates, followed by Hunter Valley.

Shiraz remains the most collected variety, followed by chardonnay.

You can access the list of the top 50 wines here.

Penfolds Grange has consistently achieved either first or second place since the inaugural Wine Ark list in 2006.

“Due to the number of bottles in the count, it takes a large change to shift wines in the top 10," says John Cuff, head of Wine Ark.

"This year, six wines in the top 10 adjusted positions. This is the second edition in a row that sees Penfolds Grange be the most collected wine in Australia, which is also one of the country’s most expensive wines, again emphasising the importance of this iconic wine to Australian wine collectors.

Cuff said the results showed a shift away from some traditional favourites.

“We are seeing a big shift away from many of the classic old cellar staples such as Penfolds, Wynns, Seppelt and Lindemans, towards cooler-climate producers such as Tolpuddle, Mount Mary, Yarra Yering and Crawford River,” he said.

“What is also interesting is the vast number of bottles of collectable chardonnay being stored by Australian collectors in this edition, spearheaded by perennial favourite Leeuwin Estate as the ninth most collected wine with its Art Series Chardonnay.

"Other producers, such as Giaconda, Tolpuddle, Lakes Folly, Pierro and Mount Mary all saw large positional gains for their chardonnays.”

Standish made the most significant leap in this year’s rankings, with The Standish Shiraz climbing 100 positions to reach 46, marking its debut in the top 50.

Joining this inaugural entry were other notable movers, including Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay, rising an impressive 66 places, Crawford River Riesling moving up by 59 places, and Thomas Wines debuting with the Braemore Hunter Valley Semillon, securing the 40th spot on the most collected list.

“While full-bodied wines from South Australia are always popular, it is clear that there is a distinct shift in Australian wine cellars towards more elegant, cool-climate wines from small, boutique winemakers,” Cuff said.

All the details of Australia’s Most Collected Wines can be found at www.wineark.com.au.