Exporting wine to Australia. Three label lines Europe doesn't ask for.
In Australia, the back label on wine carries three things the European one doesn't. A pregnancy warning, a number of standard drinks, and an alcohol content that can't be out by more than 1.5%.
A mandatory pregnancy warning. Since 31 July 2023, beverages with more than 1.15% alcohol sold in Australia and New Zealand have carried 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 says how many standard drinks the bottle holds, meaning 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% holds 7.7.
Imported wine pays WET at 29%. The wine equalisation tax is 29% of the taxable value, according to the Australian Taxation Office, and on imported wine it's collected by the Department of Home Affairs.
This page is part of exporting wine: the documents, who issues them and when you need them, and covers the Australian market. The labelling differences between the main markets are in export labelling, market by market.
How to export wine to Australia: label and WET
When you export wine to Australia, the part you prepare in Italy is the Australian back label, with the pregnancy warning, the number of standard drinks and an alcohol content within tolerance. The part you settle with the importer is WET at 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. There are two ways to show it: the pictogram on its own, 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. FSANZ, the food standards authority, publishes the official print files.
“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're calculated
Under the Australian Code, a standard drink is the amount of beverage containing 10 grams of ethanol measured at 20 degrees. The label says how many the bottle holds, to one decimal place up to 10 and as a whole number above 10, as Standard 2.7.1-4 requires.
The sum is litres times alcohol strength times 0.789, the density of ethanol at 20 degrees in grams per millilitre. An example, made up to explain the calculation and not taken from a real client: 0.75 litres at 13% comes to 7.69, so 7.7 on the label. A 1.5-litre magnum at 14.5% comes to 17.16, so 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 |
Alcohol content on the label: a 1.5% tolerance
Alcohol content 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 labelled at 13% must test between 11.5% and 14.5%.
The downloadable sheet compares the alcohol content on the label with the lot analysis and tells you whether it's within tolerance. If the difference is more than 1.5%, the Australian back label has to be corrected before printing, and so does the number of standard drinks, which depends on the alcohol content.
WET: 29% on imported wine
The wine equalisation tax, WET, is 29% of the taxable value of dealings in wine, imports included, according to the Australian Taxation Office. On imported wine it's 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 standard 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's alcohol content against the analysis, and estimates WET at 29% on the taxable value.
| File | Contents | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Wine to AustraliaExcel, two sheets | Seven checklist lines with their standards, standard drinks, alcohol tolerance and WET. |
The files are free. There's no form in the way, we don't ask for an email address, and we don't get notified when anyone downloads them. Australian duty isn't in the sheet.
Questions and answers
What does the label of wine exported to Australia need?
On top of 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 content 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?
One standard drink is 10 grams of ethanol measured at 20 degrees. The number is litres times alcohol 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 can the alcohol content on an Australian wine label be out?
For wine above 6.5% alcohol, by no more than 1.5%: Standard 2.7.1-3 requires the stated alcohol content to be accurate within that margin.
A wine labelled at 13% must test between 11.5% and 14.5%.
What pregnancy warning does wine need in Australia?
The pictogram of a pregnant woman holding a glass of wine inside 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; FSANZ publishes the official files.
What is WET on wine imported into Australia?
The wine equalisation tax: 29% of the taxable value of dealings in wine, imports included, according to the Australian Taxation Office. On imported wine it's 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 is word for word.
- 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 on 19 March 2025: 29% of the taxable value, collected by the Department of Home Affairs on imported wine.
- The numerical examples are made up to explain the calculation and aren't taken from a real client. The sources were read on 25 September 2026. Australian duty on wine isn't covered here.
In Australia, the first question is the draft back label.
Alcohol content, standard drinks and the warning get checked before printing. WET goes into the price before the offer. At Itria we start from the outside and build tailored digital systems for exporters. For you, that means more enquiries, fewer losses and less manual work. Drop us a line about what's slowing you down. We'll make the first move: we'll look at what a buyer sees when they search for you, and tell you what we found. Even if we never end up working together.