Exporting wine to Australia. Three label lines Europe doesn't ask for.
In Australia the wine back label carries three things the European one doesn't. A pregnancy warning, a number of standard drinks and an alcohol statement that can't be off by more than 1.5%.
Mandatory pregnancy warning. Since 31 July 2023 beverages with more than 1.15% alcohol sold in Australia and New Zealand carry the pictogram of a pregnant woman with a crossed-out glass, or the mark with the words «Pregnancy Warning». This is set by Standard 2.7.1 of the Food Standards Code.
The number of standard drinks on the label. Above 0.5% alcohol the label states how many standard drinks the bottle contains, that is how many times 10 grams of ethanol: to one decimal place up to 10, as a whole number above. A 0.75 litre bottle at 13% contains 7.7.
Imported wine pays WET of 29%. The wine equalisation tax is 29% of the taxable value, according to the Australian Taxation Office, and on imported wine it is collected by the Department of Home Affairs.
This page is part of exporting wine: the documents, who issues them and when they are needed, and covers the Australian market. The labelling differences between the main markets are in the export label, market by market.
How to export wine to Australia: label and WET
To export wine to Australia the part prepared in Italy is the Australian back label, with pregnancy warning, number of standard drinks and alcohol strength within tolerance. The part decided with the importer is WET of 29%, which is added to the price of imported wine.
| Item | What Australia requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnancy warning | Pictogram or mark, above 1.15% alcohol. | Food Standards Code 2.7.1 |
| Standard drinks | Approximate number, above 0.5% alcohol. | Standard 2.7.1-4 |
| Alcohol strength | In % vol or ml/100 ml, accurate within 1.5% for wine. | Standard 2.7.1-3 |
| WET | 29% of the taxable value. | ATO |
The pregnancy warning on the label
Beverages with more than 1.15% alcohol sold in Australia and New Zealand must carry the pregnancy warning, mandatory since the end of the transition period on 31 July 2023. It can be shown in two forms: the pictogram alone, or the full mark, with pictogram, words and sentence inside a border.
The pictogram is the silhouette of a pregnant woman holding a glass of wine, inside a crossed-out circle. The mark adds the words «Pregnancy Warning» and the sentence required by the Code, quoted below. The official print files are published by FSANZ, the food standards authority.
«Alcohol can cause lifelong harm to your baby» (Food Standards Code, Standard 2.7.1, definition of the pregnancy warning mark)
Standard drinks: how they are calculated
A standard drink, under the Australian Code, is the amount of beverage containing 10 grams of ethanol measured at 20 degrees. The label states how many the bottle contains, to one decimal place up to 10 and as a whole number above 10, as required by Standard 2.7.1-4.
The sum is litres times strength times 0.789, the density of ethanol at 20 degrees in grams per millilitre. An example, built to explain the calculation and not taken from a real client: 0.75 litres at 13% makes 7.69, that is 7.7 on the label. A 1.5 litre magnum at 14.5% makes 17.16, that is 17.
| Bottle | Calculation | On the label |
|---|---|---|
| 0.375 litres at 12% | 3.55 | 3.6 |
| 0.75 litres at 13% | 7.69 | 7.7 |
| 0.75 litres at 14.5% | 8.58 | 8.6 |
| 1.5 litres at 14.5% | 17.16 | 17 |
The alcohol statement on the label: 1.5% tolerance
Alcohol strength is written as a percentage by volume or in millilitres per 100 millilitres. For wine above 6.5% alcohol, Standard 2.7.1-3 requires the figure on the label to be accurate within 1.5%: a wine declared at 13% must test between 11.5% and 14.5%.
The downloadable sheet compares the strength on the label with the lot analysis and tells you whether it falls within tolerance. Beyond a 1.5% difference the Australian back label must be corrected before printing, and with it the number of standard drinks, which depends on the strength.
WET: 29% on imported wine
The wine equalisation tax, WET, is 29% of the taxable value of dealings in wine, including imports, according to the Australian Taxation Office. On imported wine it is collected by the Department of Home Affairs. Who pays it, and on what value, is agreed with the importer before the offer.
The template, to download
One file, two sheets. The first is the checklist, with the rule next to each line and a drop-down status to fill in. The second works out the standard drinks to print on the label, checks the label strength against the analysis and estimates WET at 29% on the taxable value.
| File | What it contains | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Wine in AustraliaExcel, two sheets | Seven checklist lines with the rule, standard drinks, alcohol tolerance and WET. |
The files are free. There is no form in front of them, we don't ask for an address and we receive no notification when someone downloads them. Australian duty is not in the sheet.
Questions and answers
What does the label of wine exported to Australia need?
Beyond the basic information, three items the European label doesn't have: the pregnancy warning above 1.15% alcohol, the number of standard drinks above 0.5% alcohol, and an alcohol statement accurate within 1.5%. This is set by Standard 2.7.1 of the Australian Food Standards Code.
The warning has been mandatory since 31 July 2023.
How are standard drinks calculated for wine?
A standard drink is 10 grams of ethanol measured at 20 degrees. The number is calculated as litres times strength times 0.789, the density of ethanol: a 0.75 litre bottle at 13% contains 7.7 standard drinks.
On the label the number is written to one decimal place up to 10 and as a whole number above 10.
How far off can the alcohol strength on the wine label be in Australia?
For wine above 6.5% alcohol, at most 1.5%: Standard 2.7.1-3 requires the strength on the label to be accurate within that margin.
A wine declared at 13% must test between 11.5% and 14.5%.
What pregnancy warning does wine in Australia need?
The pictogram of a pregnant woman with a wine glass in a crossed-out circle, or the full mark with the words Pregnancy Warning and the sentence Alcohol can cause lifelong harm to your baby inside a border.
It has been mandatory for beverages above 1.15% alcohol since 31 July 2023; the official files are published by FSANZ.
What is WET on wine imported into Australia?
The wine equalisation tax, 29% of the taxable value of dealings in wine, including imports, according to the Australian Taxation Office. On imported wine it is collected by the Department of Home Affairs.
Who pays it and on what value is agreed with the importer before the offer.
Notes on sources
- Australian Food Standards Code, Standard 2.7.1, labelling of alcoholic beverages, compilation of 13 August 2025: 2.7.1-3 for alcohol content and tolerance, 2.7.1-4 for standard drinks, the definitions of the pictogram and the mark. The quotation marks enclose the text verbatim.
- FSANZ, labelling of alcoholic beverages (10 September 2025) and pregnancy warning labels (18 November 2025): the 0.5% and 1.15% thresholds and the end of the transition period on 31 July 2023.
- Standard 1.1.2 of the Code: a standard drink is the amount containing 10 grams of ethanol measured at 20 degrees. The 0.789 factor is the density of ethanol at 20 degrees, in grams per millilitre.
- Australian Taxation Office, WET, how much to pay, updated 19 March 2025: 29% of the taxable value, collection by the Department of Home Affairs on imported wine.
- The numerical examples are built to explain the calculation and are not taken from a real client. The sources were read on 25 September 2026. Australian duty on wine is not given.
In Australia the first question is the draft back label.
Strength, standard drinks and warning are checked before printing. WET goes into the price before the offer. With Itria we start from the outside to build custom digital systems for exporters. For you that translates into more requests, fewer losses and less manual work. Write us a line about what weighs on you. We take the first step: what a buyer sees when they look you up, and what we found there. Even if we don't end up working together.