Next stop Malaysia for Australia’s food and wine group

Wine Australia joins one of Australian agriculture’s most comprehensive trade development programs as it heads to Malaysia in September for the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group’s next Taste the Wonders of Australia market access activation. 

It’s the seventh activation for the Collaboration Group, comprising some of Australia’s leading research and development corporations and industry representative groups including Wine Australia, Hort Innovation, Dairy Australia, Meat & Livestock Australia and Seafood Industry Australia. 

Over the past three years, the Collaboration Group has held market activations in Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan. The Group has met with more than 1,200 trade and government representatives, leveraging the individual sectors’ export strengths to deepen industry and government networks, advance bilateral trade and improve market access for the Australian food and wine producers. 

The next market activation will be held in Kuala Lumpur on September 29 and 30 and coincides with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Malaysia.  

For Australia’s wine producers, Malaysia is Australia's tenth largest export market by value and the third largest in Southeast Asia, and Wine Australia General Manager Market Development Paul Turale sees potential for growth in the Malaysian market. 

“Malaysia represents an important growth opportunity for Australian wine,” Mr Turale said. “In the 12 months ended June 2025, 131 Australian wineries exported 2.7 million litres of premium wine to Malaysia worth $42.4 million. 

“One hundred per cent of the wine consumed in Malaysia is imported, and Australia is Malaysia’s largest supplier with a 40 per cent volume share of the wine market.”

Malaysia is Australia’s 11th largest trading partner for Australian agriculture, with exports worth $1.8 billion in 2024-25. With Malaysia’s rising affluence, a growing middle class and increasing demand for premium imported goods, the market presents strong potential for growth across Australia’s wine and food sectors.

Mr Turale said Wine Australia is pleased to be a part of the Taste the Wonders of Australia initiative.

“We are proud to be part of a Team Australia approach to build the awareness and reputation of quality Australian wine and food in Malaysia,” Mr Turale said.  

“The Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase the depth and quality of Australian wine to an influential industry audience through high-quality in-market activations.”

The Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group will be in Kuala Lumpur on September 29 and 30 to conduct the Taste the Wonders of Australia market activation. 

The events include export market roundtable discussions with industry and government contacts, food and wine workshops with local food industry representatives, and a Taste the Wonders of Australia Gala Dinner, which showcases the best of Australian food and wine to Malaysian trade and industry representatives.   

The investment by the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration Group is supported by Agriculture Trade and Market Access Cooperation (ATMAC) grants, with a $500,000 for the first four export market destinations in 2022-24, and a second grant of $600,000 to continue the program for 2025-26.