His industry is under siege but Australian Vintage chief executive Dane Hudson is remarkably upbeat.

Hudson, who was head-hunted to turn around the fortunes of the then McGuigan Simeon Wines group in 2006, has spent the past four years overhauling one of Australia's biggest wine producers, reports The Australian Financial Review.

The hard work appears to be paying dividends – finally.

The Sydney wine group returned to profit in the six months to December 31, is cash-flow positive and its debt is at its lowest point in nine years.

Australian Vintage managed a feat in the first half that will make it the envy of its rivals: exports of its bottled wine are up. In 2009, United Kingdom sales of its brand wine rose by 4 per cent while exports of all Australian wines to the UK fell by 22 per cent.