Wine Label Requirements for Export: Country-by-Country Basics
The short answer
Australian wine labels must show alcohol by volume, standard drinks, a pregnancy warning above 1.15% ABV and an Australian street address, and shipments over 100 litres need export approval. Digital Label Services prints wine and beverage labels in short digital runs so exporters can carry separate artwork for each market.
Digital Label Services · 7A Melissa St, Green Point NSW 2251 · 0431 942 464 · Monday to Friday, 8:30am–5:00pm
Send an enquiry
Tell us what you need labelled and we will come back with a tailored quote.
Prefer email? info@digitallabelservices.com.au
Exporting wine means running two label systems at once. The Australian baseline applies to everything you produce, and each destination market layers its own rules on top. This article covers the Australian wine label export requirements precisely, then sets out how to confirm destination rules, and sits alongside more label printing guides.
One thing this article will not do is list rules country by country. Destination requirements change, they differ by state or province in some markets, and importers often impose additional conditions of their own. Anything published as a fixed list goes out of date quietly, which is the worst way for a labelling rule to be wrong.
What does the Australian baseline actually require?
Wine Australia sets out the domestic requirements, and they are more precise than most producers assume. Alcohol content is expressed as % alc/vol. The permitted tolerance is 1.5 per cent for wine above 6.5 per cent ABV, tightening to 0.5 per cent for fortified wine and spirits.
Measurement marking has a minimum character height of 3.3 mm on a standard 750 mL bottle, and the supplier’s Australian street address must appear. A PO box is not acceptable in its place.
The 85 per cent rule governs claims of variety, vintage and geographical indication. Where a label names one of these, at least 85 per cent of the wine must come from that variety, vintage or region.
How are standard drinks calculated and declared?
Standard drinks are calculated as volume in litres multiplied by % ABV multiplied by 0.789. A 750 mL bottle at 14 per cent works out at 8.3 standard drinks.
Standard 2.7.1 of the Food Standards Code defines a standard drink as 10 grams of ethanol at 20 degrees Celsius, and requires the statement on beverages above 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume.
Recalculate the number whenever the alcohol figure moves, because the two are linked. A vintage half a percentage point higher changes the declared standard drinks, and a label carrying last year’s number is incorrect even though nothing about the design changed.
What does the pregnancy warning mark have to look like?
The pregnancy warning is required above 1.15 per cent alcohol by volume, and it is a specified design rather than free artwork. FSANZ publishes the design elements: PREGNANCY WARNING in upper case bold sans serif in red, specified as PMS 485, with the statement in sentence case black on white.
Mark sizes are set at s2.7.1-9(3) and scale with the container. Up to and including 200 mL the pictogram alone appears at 8 mm. Above 200 mL and up to 800 mL the pictogram is 6 mm, signal words 2.1 mm and the statement 1.6 mm. Above 800 mL those become 9 mm, 2.8 mm and 2.1 mm.
The requirement was gazetted on 31 July 2020 with a three-year transition ending 31 July 2023, and post-printed corrugated outers moved to 1 February 2024. A red element on every unit is why most producers use full colour label printing rather than a single-colour overprint.
What does the Label Integrity Program require you to keep?
The Label Integrity Program operates under Part VIA of the Wine Australia Act 2013. It exists so a label claim about variety, vintage or region can be substantiated by records rather than by assertion.
Records must be made within 3 days of the relevant operation and kept for 7 years. Penalties run to 2 years imprisonment and 120 penalty units, and an export licence can be suspended.
For label production the point is that artwork claims and cellar records have to agree. A label printed before blending decisions are finalised creates a records problem, not only a printing one.
How does the export approval process work?
Export approval applies to shipments over 100 litres. Below that threshold the process differs, which is why sample and trade-show consignments are handled separately from commercial shipments.
There are three stages. An export licence is obtained through WALAS, quoted at 5 business days. Each product is then registered. Shipping approval is granted per consignment rather than once per product, so it remains an ongoing operational step.
For the European Union and the United Kingdom, a VI-1 document is also required. That is the one destination-specific document set out in the Australian process itself.
How do you confirm requirements for a specific destination market?
Beyond the VI-1 requirement for the EU and UK, destination rules must be confirmed market by market. Requirements vary, they change, and they are not something to take from a blog post or a competitor’s back label.
Confirm with Wine Australia and with the importer who will clear the goods. The importer deals with the local regulator, knows which registrations exist and hears first when something changes.
Questions to put to Wine Australia and your importer for each market:
- Which mandatory particulars must appear, and in which language or languages?
- Is an importer name and address required on the label itself?
- Are there prescribed allergen or additive declarations, and in what wording?
- Are health or responsible-consumption warnings required, and is the design prescribed?
- Are there minimum type heights or placement rules for any element?
- Which documents accompany the consignment, and does anything need pre-approval?
Why does exporting favour short-run digital label printing?
Export multiplies label versions. One wine can need a domestic label, a version carrying an importer’s details, a version in another language and a market-specific warning variant, all in quantities far below a traditional print minimum.
Pre-printing those versions in bulk carries two risks: obsolete stock when a requirement changes, and capital tied up in labels for a market that may take one pallet a year. Short digital runs remove printing plates, so an extra market becomes another file rather than another tooling charge.
We print wine and beverage labels across those volumes, and our digital label printing covers low volume runs of 1 to 1,000 as readily as medium volume work above 1,000. Wine label export requirements sit with the exporter, so discuss specific technical or regulatory requirements with Digital Label Services before production and confirm compliance with Wine Australia.
Which Australian requirements apply before a bottle can be exported?
The domestic baseline, with the thresholds most often checked during a label review.
| Requirement | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol content | % alc/vol; tolerance 1.5% above 6.5% ABV, 0.5% for fortified and spirits | Wine Australia |
| Standard drinks | Volume (L) x %ABV x 0.789; 750 mL at 14% equals 8.3 | Wine Australia |
| Standard drinks statement | Required above 0.5% ABV; a standard drink is 10 g ethanol at 20C | Standard 2.7.1 |
| Pregnancy warning | Required above 1.15% ABV; PMS 485 red signal words, black statement, white background | Standard 2.7.1, FSANZ |
| Mark sizes | Up to 200 mL: pictogram 8 mm. Over 200 to 800 mL: 6 / 2.1 / 1.6 mm. Over 800 mL: 9 / 2.8 / 2.1 mm | s2.7.1-9(3) |
| Measurement marking | Minimum 3.3 mm characters on a standard 750 mL bottle | Wine Australia |
| Supplier address | Australian street address; a PO box is not acceptable | Wine Australia |
| Variety, vintage, region | The 85% rule applies to each claim | Wine Australia |
| Records | Made within 3 days, kept 7 years under Part VIA of the Act | Label Integrity Program |
| Export approval | Over 100 litres; WALAS licence, product registration, per-consignment approval, VI-1 for EU and UK | Wine Australia |
Destination requirements sit on top of this baseline and must be confirmed with Wine Australia and the importer for each market.
“Digital Label Services have delivered quality labels and consumables, cost savings and support for the last 7 months for our colour label printers ensuring that a key component of our business runs efficiently.”
Kim Jardine, General Manager, James Bennett P/L
Frequently asked questions
Do I need export approval for a case of samples?
Export approval applies to shipments over 100 litres, so a small sample consignment falls below the threshold and is handled differently. Confirm the current position with Wine Australia before shipping, because sample and trade-show consignments still carry documentation obligations even where full export approval does not apply.
How many standard drinks are in a 750 mL bottle at 14%?
8.3. The calculation is volume in litres multiplied by percentage alcohol by volume multiplied by 0.789. Recalculate whenever the declared alcohol figure changes, because a vintage coming in higher or lower changes the standard drinks number even though nothing else about the label has moved.
What are the pregnancy warning mark sizes for a wine bottle?
For containers over 200 mL and up to 800 mL, which covers a standard 750 mL bottle, the pictogram must be 6 mm, the signal words 2.1 mm and the statement 1.6 mm. Above 800 mL those increase to 9 mm, 2.8 mm and 2.1 mm. Containers of 200 mL or less carry an 8 mm pictogram only.
Can I use a PO box as the supplier address?
No. An Australian street address is required for the supplier, and a PO box does not satisfy it. The same principle runs through measurement marking requirements more broadly, where packer details must be a physical address rather than a postal one. Confirm your address block before committing artwork to print.
Where do I find the labelling rules for a specific export market?
From Wine Australia and from the importer who will clear the goods in that market. Wine label export requirements vary, change and are sometimes set below national level. Beyond the VI-1 document required for the European Union and United Kingdom, verify every destination rule in writing before printing rather than assuming it.
Should we pre-print labels for all our export markets at once?
Rarely a good idea. A single regulatory change or importer switch turns pre-printed stock into waste, and small markets seldom justify the quantity. Short digital runs let each market carry its own artwork at a viable quantity, which is why most exporters now hold more versions in smaller volumes.
Related articles
- Thermal Transfer vs Direct Thermal: Which Label Do You Need?
- Label Printing for Sydney Food Manufacturers: A Practical Guide
- Overprinting: How to Stop Paying for Pre-Printed Boxes
Exporting into more than one market?
Send us your artwork and the markets you ship to, and we will advise on materials, sizes and short-run production for each label version. Get a Personalised Quote, or call 0431 942 464.
Get a Personalised QuoteSpeak With Our Printer SpecialistsCall 0431 942 464
References and further reading
- Labelling requirements — Wine Australia. alcohol tolerances, standard drinks calculation, measurement marking and the 85% rule
- Label Integrity Program — Wine Australia. record-keeping under Part VIA of the Wine Australia Act 2013 and the penalties
- The export approval process explained — Wine Australia. the 100 litre threshold, WALAS licensing, product registration and VI-1 for EU and UK
- Food Standards Code Standard 2.7.1 — Federal Register of Legislation. standard drinks definition and pregnancy warning mark sizes at s2.7.1-9(3)