Official figures for New Zealand's 2014 grape harvest show it has increased by almost one third on last year.
Official figures for New Zealand's 2014 grape harvest show it has increased by almost one third on last year.
According to the 2014 Vintage Survey, 445,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested. The 2014 crop is up 29% on the harvest last year and New Zealand Winegrowers claims the bumper harvest will position the industry well for the continuing consumer demand for its wine.
Virtually every region saw crops increase, including Nelson, Waipara and Central Otago, which exceeded 10,000 tonnes for the first time.
New Zealand’s grape harvest has jumped 29%
"All grape growing regions experienced very favourable growing conditions through the summer and into the early autumn. 2014 is set to be another memorable, high quality vintage which will provide a further boost to growing wine exports," said New Zealand Winegrowers' chief executive Philip Gregan.
"Winemakers across the country are incredibly pleased with the quality and flavours of the 2014 grape crop. The larger harvest will enable the industry to meet strong consumer demand in established and new markets and support export growth. The New Zealand wine industry has set its sights on becoming a $2 billion export industry, and the 2014 vintage is a good step towards this ambitious goal," Gregan said.
New Zealand wine is exported to more than 90 countries and wine exports are currently valued at $1.32 billion per annum.
Despite New Zealand's bumper crop sizes, Gregan told harpers.co.uk at New Zealand's annual trade tasting in March that he expected demand to exceed supply through 2017. In fact, shortages of the country's signature grape have even led to imports of Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and South Africa to satisfy demand. According to New Zealand Winegrowers' European marketing manager Chris Stroud, some wineries have been importing Sauvignon Blanc from elsewhere in the New World since 2012 shortages to place into lower-priced brands for the domestic market. Stroud stressed that imports have always had their country of origin clearly labelled.