Shipping Wine from Portugal to Australia: What It may actually costs
Shipping wine into Australia from a Portuguese winery is routine and entirely legal - our clients do it every day.
The part that can be surprising isn't the process, but may actually be the total cost at destination; Australia applies three separate charges to imported wine, one on top of the other. Here's how it works**, so there's no surprise when your shipment lands.
*
The Three Charges, in the Order They're Calculated
● Customs duty — currently around 5% of the customs value for wine from Portugal. (A new Australia–EU trade agreement was concluded in March 2026 that will eventually remove this duty on European wine, but it hasn't entered into force yet — ratification is expected to take another year or more, so the standard rate still applies for now.)
● Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) — 29% of the wholesale value, applied after customs duty.
● GST — 10%, applied last, on top of the value, duty, and WET combined.
As an Example**
Say you order wine from Portugal with a declared value of AUD 300:
● Wine value: AUD 300
● + Customs duty (~5%): AUD 15
● + WET (29% on wholesale value): ~AUD 91
● Subtotal: ~AUD 406
● + GST (10% on the subtotal): ~AUD 41
● Estimated landed total: ~AUD 447
This is illustrative — actual WET calculations depend on how wholesale value is determined for your specific shipment — but it gives a realistic sense of the multiplier: expect landed cost to run meaningfully above the wine's sticker price.
No Small-Order Exemption
Unlike some general imports, there's no "too small to bother with" threshold for wine. The Australian Taxation Office applies WET even to wine sent as a personal gift or included in personal effects — so every order, large or small, goes through the same calculation.
How PackMerge can help
We consolidate your wine purchases into a single shipment and prepare the export documentation, and we can give you a realistic landed-cost estimate (just en estimate! duty, WET and GST included — before you buy, so the number you see upfront is the number you actually pay at destination **
** Figures are current estimates based on standard indicative rates; actual duty, WET and GST are confirmed at the time of import. This article is general information, not tax advice.
** Disclaimer: This blog post is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, customs, or professional advice of any kind.
Rules, rates, and requirements referenced above are based on publicly available information at the time of writing, may not reflect the most current regulatory developments, and are subject to change without notice.
PackMerge makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and accepts no liability for any loss, penalty, or damage arising from reliance on it. Always verify current requirements with the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Border Force, or a qualified professional before making a purchasing or shipping decision.
Comments