As the year draws to a close, Australia’s largest wine storage provider, Wine Ark, has catalogued the 195,000 bottles placed in its care in 2024 to reveal the most cellared wines of the past 12 months. The data gives insight into the tastes, trends, and treasured collections of Australia’s most discerning wine drinkers.
With fifteen state-of-the-art facilities across five states, Wine Ark houses over one million bottles, making it the country’s premier wine storage provider.
Notable highlights from 2024’s most cellared wines:
- A white wine was the most collected of the year: Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2021
- The producer with the most bottles collected this year was Penfolds
- There was a 15% increase in the number of bottles placed into storage from 2023 to 2024
- Barossa Valley was the most cellared region making up 23.4% of the wines submitted this year, followed by Margaret River (14.8%)
Wine Ark’s John Cuff notes that the 2024 results demonstrate a growing awareness of the age-ability of Australia’s biggest white wine variety, and expressed surprise at seeing Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay crowned as the most collected wine of 2024.
“Over the years, we’ve observed a marked increase in the appetite for age-worthy chardonnay. However, I fully expected a red wine to take the top spot this year. There are over seven chardonnays in the Top 25 wines added in 2024 including four in the top 10.”
The results also highlighted a preference for boutique and family wineries. Cuff noted, “It’s been a tough year for the wine trade. It’s heartening to see that the vast majority of wines purchased and stored at Wine Ark this year were produced by smaller, family-run wineries. While iconic names like Leeuwin, Giaconda, and Pierro Chardonnay dominate the Top 10, I was truly blown away to see the 2022 Savaterre Chardonnay from Beechworth rank as the 7th most cellared wine of 2024.”
Keppell Smith, owner and winemaker at Savaterre, shared his reaction: “Well, well! That’s a surprise for such a small producer! We put a lot of effort into delivering a great wine. I’m flattered and thrilled that people are using excellent storage for our wines. It’s terrific to be in such great company.”
Despite a challenging year for the wine industry overall, Cuff also noted an interesting uptick in wine storage this year. “There was a 15% increase in the number of bottles placed into storage from 2023 to 2024. Whether this reflects clients taking advantage of discounted parcels from retailers and wineries, or a shift toward purchasing larger volumes at lower price points to save for later.”
The top wines, producers, varieties, vintages, and regions submitted to Wine Ark this year can be found below. For more information on Wine Ark’s state-of-the-art climate-controlled cellars visit wineark.com.au/about/
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THE RESULTS:
TOP WINES ADDED TO CELLARS
- Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2021
- Penfolds St Henri Shiraz 2018
- Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2024
- Mount Mary Quintet Cabernet Blend 2022
- Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023
- Giaconda Estate Chardonnay 2022
- Savaterre Chardonnay 2022
- Pierro Chardonnay 2023
- Standish Lamella Shiraz 2022
- Lake’s Folly Shiraz Merlot Petit Verdot 2022
TOP FIVE PRODUCERS ADDED TO CELLARS
- Penfolds
- Rockford
- Tyrrells
- Lake’s Folly
- Mount Mary
TOP FIVE VARIETIES ADDED TO THE CELLARS
- Shiraz
- Chardonnay
- Pinot Noir
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cabernet Blend
MOST COMMON VINTAGE ADDED TO THE CELLARS
- 2022
- 2021
- 2023
TOP REGIONS ADDED TO THE CELLARS
- Barossa Valley
- Margaret River
- Hunter
- Yarra Valley
- McLaren Vale
