New Zealand wine celebrates bicentenary with record sales   6 Dec 2018

In 2019, New Zealand will be celebrating 200 years since the first vine was planted on its shores.  From 100 grapevines originally planted in 1819 by Yorkshireman and Christian missionary, Samuel Marsden, there are now close to 40,000 hectares of vines covering New Zealand soils.

 

Growth has been rapid since the turn of this century: in the past 20 years, the total vineyard area has more than tripled. In 1998 New Zealand exported just 15 million litres of wine, worth NZ$100m and in 2018 exports exceed 255 million litres, tipping $1.7bn.

 

In the UK, the appetite for New Zealand continues unabated, being the only country showing both volume (+6.3%) and value (+6.6%) growth in the off-trade*. The first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was released in 1979 and, when it was first shown in the UK in the 1980’s, the country’s distinctive style wowed and refreshed palates.  Since then, New Zealand’s increasingly refined yet always vibrant and fresh style of Sauvignon Blanc has seen the country’s share of UK Sauvignon Blanc sales rise to 47% in the off trade*.

 

However, New Zealand isn’t all about white wine; Pinot Noir has come of age since the first modern plantings in the 1970s and now represents 77% of the country’s red vineyard area.  Its various styles from fresh and fruity to savoury and complex have made the country’s reds highly desirable: a bottle of New Zealand red wine fetches £9.43 in the off-trade, over £3 more than any other country.

 

All varieties of New Zealand wine will be celebrated at the annual trade tasting in London on 16 January at County Hall, London. More than 400 wines will be available to taste with some of the country’s top winemakers in attendance. To celebrate the 200-year anniversary since those first plantings in Northland, a selection of wines from the region will be available to taste for the first time in the UK.

 

Master Sommelier Ronan Sayburn will be scratching the surface of Marlborough in his seminar Digging Deeper while Master of Wine Rebecca Gibb will explore the many faces of Hawke’s Bay and Central Otago in separate masterclasses. 

 

Other highlights include self pouring opportunities exploring Chardonnay and a Sommelier Sauvignon Selection – wines chosen by Sommeliers who have visited New Zealand on the Sommit, the New Zealand Winegrowers Sommelier scholarship.

 

New Zealand Winegrowers Europe Marketing Manager Chris Stroud says: “The New Zealand Annual Tasting in the UK has been going since the 1980’s and is the biggest showcase of New Zealand wine globally.  The UK is a very strong market for New Zealand and its popularity is not waning as we are celebrating over 20 years of consecutive growth in sales.  This tasting should be a must attend event for anyone with any interest in New Zealand wine.”

 

 

 

*Nielsen Scantrack data MAT 6/10/2018

Add a comment

News

Hilary Timmins' Award-Winning UK Documentary Series To Inspire NZ Students

29 Jun 2020 Education
Dream Catchers, produced and directed by Hilary Timmins, celebrates the success stories of more than thirty inspirational New... more

New Zealand reaffirms support for Flight MH17 judicial process

7 Mar 2020 News By Rt HON WINSTON PETERS
Ahead of the start of the criminal trial in the Netherlands on 9 March, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has reaffirmed the need to... more

Business

NZ Government's Economic package to fight COVID-19

17 Mar 2020 Business News By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government has launched the most significant peace-time economic plan in modern New Zealand history to cushion the... more

NZ Government announces aviation relief package

19 Mar 2020 Business News By Hon Phil Twyford
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today outlined the first tranche of the $600 million aviation sector relief package announced earlier... more

Living

Diversity was Key at New Zealand Trade Tasting in London

6 Jun 2022 Food & Wine
New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Trade Tasting was recently held in London, on Wednesday 4 May, in Lindley Hall. It was the first... more

Kiwi author stuns Behind the Butterfly Gate

12 Jan 2022 Arts By Charlotte Everett
Hidden behind the Butterfly Gate is where the secret has been kept for 76 years...  New Zealand writer Merryn Corcoran’s... more

Property

Fairer rules for tenants and landlords

17 Nov 2019 Property By Minister Kris Faafoi
17 NOVEMBER 2019 The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer... more

New Zealand Government will not implement a Capital Gains Tax

17 Apr 2019 Property By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government will not proceed with the Tax Working Group’s recommendation for a capital gains tax, Jacinda Ardern... more

Migration

Boosting border security with electronic travel authority – now over 500,000 issued

19 Nov 2019 Migration By Hon Iain Lees-Galloway
19 NOVEMBER 2019 We’ve improved border security with the NZeTA, New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which helps us to... more

Christchurch reinstated as refugee settlement location

18 Aug 2018 Migration
18 AUGUST 2018 HON IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY The announcement that Christchurch can once again be a settlement location for refugees... more

Travel

Gallipoli Anzac Day services cancelled

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The New Zealand and Australian Governments have announced this year’s joint Anzac Day services at Gallipoli will be cancelled... more

New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism
New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas more

Sport

The Skipper's Diary: Sir Richard Hadlee honouring his father and NZ's Forty-Niners

27 Oct 2019 Cricket By Charlotte Everett
NZNewsUK London Editor Charlotte Everett spoke to Sir Richard Hadlee about why he’s chosen to publish his father’s... more

PREVIEW: All Blacks v England semi-final

26 Oct 2019 Rugby
The two most convincing quarterfinals winners are set to square off in a semifinal showdown for the ages when the All Blacks meet old... more

Columns

Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade

11 Nov 2016 Opinion
Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade First published on Werewolf The ghastly likes of Marine Le Pen in France and Geert ... more

Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome

10 Nov 2016 Opinion
Column - Gordon Campbell   Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome Well um.. on the bright side, there (probably)... more

Kiwi Success

Congratulations to Loder Cup winner

26 Sep 2018 People By Hon Eugenie Sage
25 SEPTEMBER 2018 The Loder Cup, one of New Zealand’s oldest conservation awards, has been awarded to Robert McGowan for 2018... more

Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO

16 Aug 2018 Appointments
16 AUGUST 2018Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO HON JENNY SALESA Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa is... more

Recruitment

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

14 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

22 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more