Australian winemakers dish on what’s hot and what’s not

The jury’s out on wine trends in 2025. Wine Selectors surveyed eight of Australia’s top winemakers to find out a wine trend they wish would disappear forever, and one they wish always stays.

Check out these trends below or visit Wine Selectors and get up to $151 off cases of wine from Australia’s top wine producers — and that’s on top of 20% off your first order with code TASTE20!

What’s Hot

Use of primary fruits in wine

The use of primary fruits diversifies the portfolio of flavour in wines. Fruits like cherries or pineapple can really add a freshness and detail to the wine that almost transforms it into an entirely different beverage.

“I see the industry really pushing for primary fruit and less artifact these days, and I love it.” – John Wallace, John Wallace Wines.

Wines like these can also be a delightful surprise to add to any lunch or dinner. John recommends his 2023 Juju Red to go with a delightful homemade hamburger with all the classic trimmings.

Drinking in moderation

Beyond health considerations, moderating your consumption of wine also has a flavour benefit and is considered a trend because the composition of the beverage is designed for moderation.

“We moderate the alcohol level in the final wine through staggered harvesting at vintage and meticulous handling in the winery,” says Catherine from Ashbrook Estate. “More balanced reporting of the benefits of drinking quality wine in moderation would be helpful.”

Pairing wine with a meal can help slow down your drinking habit. Catherine recommends pairing the Ashbrook Estate Verdelho and some Thai Beef Salad for an unexpectedly delicious surprise!

Sustainable farming/eco-friendly winemaking

Beyond being a practice that is good for the health of the environment, eco-friendly winemaking has significant impacts on the quality and longevity of the wine.

Cath from Oates End reinforces the importance of this, noting that a lot of people — particularly the younger folks — don’t appreciate the natural goodness of Australian wines and the richness of our land from which they are cultivated.

“This movement not only helps preserve the environment but also leads to healthier, more expressive wines that reflect the true essence of the land.” – Cath Oates, Oates End.

What’s Not

Non-alcoholic wine

For some, this pretty much goes unsaid. Part of the enjoyment of wine is the alcohol content — without it, David from Delatite argues that it should simply be called something else.

Minimal intervention, lo-fi and skin contact wines

These wines can be enjoyed and are highly popular among many people. However, winemaker Andrew from Thomas Wines confesses that they’re also overrated and that the market is saturated with sub-par options.

“These wines are the ‘punk-rock’ of the wine world, meant to disrupt but these days many are jumping on the bandwagon and will never get anywhere near hitting the charts.”

In response to this emerging trend, Andrew hails the Hunter Semillon as a classic choice to fall back on.

“Long live the purity and precision (and the low alcohol) of Hunter Semillon.” – Andrew Thomas, Thomas Wines.

Overuse of oak/ripe fruit in wine

Wines that include oak or ripened fruit in their make aren’t inherently bad — in fact, they do wonders to add new layers of depth to the flavour profile!

However, Janelle from Z Wine says that when overdone, it can “overpower the natural character of the grapes and mask the true expression of the terroir”. Furthermore, overripe grapes don’t age well and can end up porty.

“The best wines are balanced, especially if you want to age them!” – Janelle Zerk, Z Wine.

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