Australia is home to some of the best wine regions in the world, so it’s no wonder the average Aussie appreciates a good glass of red or white.

But which one comes out on top?

Wine storage provider Wine Ark has named Australia’s top 50 Most Collected Wines of 2023.

Penfolds Grange took out the top spot, based on data collected from more than one million bottles housed in Wine Ark’s cellars across the country.

With shiraz grapes hailing from South Australian vineyards, Penfolds Grange is an iconic Australian red wine that has had an unbroken line of vintages since 1951.

But a glass doesn’t come cheap; a bottle of Penfolds Grange can cost between a few hundred dollars to more than $2000; a special edition released in 2017 cost $3000.

“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,” Wine Ark head John Cuff said.

Penfolds took out the top three spots on the list, with its St Henri shiraz and Bin 389 cabernet shiraz coming second and third, respectively.

The rest of the list was dominated by 22 wines from other parts of South Australia (click the image below for the full list).

However, it wasn’t entirely positive news for Penfolds and other well-established producers.

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

“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.”

Wine Ark’s data found shiraz was the most popular singular varietal in the country, followed by chardonnay.

Australians prefer a glass of red overall, with the top 50 list featuring 37 red entries compared to 13 whites.

South Australia produced most of the wines featured on the list (25), with the Barossa Valley having produced the most entrants.

New South Wales’ Hunter Valley produced the second-most wines in the top 50 list.

Australian wines aren’t just popular at home; 10 local entrants were named Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards earlier this year.

Although the Australian wine industry is clearly still producing quality products, there are some fears for its future as research shows younger generations are drinking less wine.

Australia’s wine production reduced by about 25 per cent from 2022 to 2023, as global production dropped by 7 per cent.

– The New Daily