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Prosecco is reaching new heights in popularity and is definitely the sparkling white wine go to for the majority of Australian's during the festive season.
Work break-ups, catch-ups with friends, family lunches, Christmas eve drinks, or Boxing Day barbecues are all common gatherings where you'll see a bottle of Australian prosecco unbottled.
As the holiday season approaches, Google Trends data on searched wine varieties in Australia over the last two years in December, shows prosecco has very much so been on people's minds, as it has rated higher than all other varieties except shiraz.
Searches for eight of the most popular wine varieties all spike around December each year, but it's the growing trend of prosecco that speaks volumes.
The variety didn't get here by accident - many vignerons have invested millions of dollars in new plantings, equipment and staff over the last 15-20 years to meet the growing demand for the beautiful drop of sparkling.
And the King Valley maintains its reign over prosecco as it produces between 45 and 60 per cent of Australian prosecco.
Wine tourism is worth a whopping $940 million per year to the King Valley, part of a total Victoria-wide wine tourism figure of $2.69 billion.
Tourism, cellar doors, hospitality, accommodation, events, and wine sales all contribute to the total and it places the King Valley among the top five wine-driven regional economies in Victoria.
While the wine grape crush has reduced compared to last year's figures, prosecco still surpassed $20m in crush value.
The 2026 national vintage report estimates that this year's wine grape crush was 1.27 million tonnes, with an estimated value of $837 million.
The crush was 19 per cent lower than the 2025 vintage of 1.57 million tonnes and 25 per cent below the 10-year average (2016–2025) of 1.69 million tonnes.
Victoria ranked third in the country for volume - behind South Australia and New South Wales - with an estimated crush of 191,765 tonnes, down 31 per cent year-on-year and also 31 per cent below its 10-year average.
The King Valley’s 2026 wine grape crush totalled 16,783 tonnes with a value of $20,727,255, compared to 2025’s total of 22,116 tonnes and $28,473,618.
This article uses Google Trends data to explore search interest in wine grape varieties in Australia. Google Trends data is aggregated and anonymous. Search interest is measured on a relative scale and does not represent total search volume.
