The Australian Wine Federation said the 1999 harvest, up 20 per cent on the previous year, represented an extra 139 million litres of wine, equivalent to two-thirds of total 1998-99 Australian wine export volumes.

Red wine grapes increased by 33 per cent to 473,995 tonnes, representing just over 40 per cent of the total crush, with specialist white wine grapes up by 21 per cent to 494,662 tonnes or 42 per cent of the total crush, it said.

The total intake for the vintage, which ran from January to May, was higher than industry forecasts, due mainly to favourable seasonal conditions in all but a few areas.

Chardonnay posted an increase of 38 per cent to 235,945 tonnes, with shiraz up 40 per cent to 207,103 tonnes, and cabernet sauvignon up 36 per cent to 133,363 tonnes, itsaid.

The federation said the total intake of multipurpose varieties was down by less than one per cent to 208,953 tonnes, but their overall share of the crush fell from 21.6 per cent in 1998 to 17.7 per cent in keeping with a medium-term trend.

``Wine-makers will now have ample stocks to meet previous unmet demand, especially of red wines,'' it said.

The Australian wine industry has invested heavily in recent years in vineyard planting for premium wine varieties, after an industry boom which has seen the country's wine exports grow in value from A$20 million (US$13 million) in 1985-86 to A$1 billion in 1998-99.

Australia's leading wine producer, Southcorp Ltd, which produces the Penfold's range, said in July it had crushed a record 224,000 tonnes of grapes in 1999, up 20,000 on the previous year.

The second-largest producer, BRL Hardy Ltd crushed close to 200,000 tonnes.