Trade is important to our industry, whether it’s because 90% of our wine sales are in international markets, because of the international tourists who spend money at our cellar doors, or because of the equipment we source from overseas to operate our wineries and vineyards.
OPINION: There are plenty of “happy accidents” behind the phenomenal success of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, said Winemaker Helen Morrison at the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium in Christchurch last month, in a workshop on the evolution of New Zealand’s flagship variety.
The end of the year is fast approaching, so here are some thoughts on a few of the significant developments during 2025 to wrap things up. Times are tough, of course, but there are some positive stories to think about, as well as the challenges.
OPINION: When I moved to Marlborough two decades ago, I found countless lines of tidy vines, neatly mowed and carefully sprayed, with diligent conventional practices interspersed with the odd organic or cover-cropping outlier, like Te Whare Ra.
OPINION: For much of its modern history, New Zealand wine has been defined by its boldness.
Over the past three years or so, the New Zealand Winegrowers Board has consulted with members on proposals to reform NZW with the simple goal of ensuring the future organisation is fit for purpose.
OPINION: New Zealand is the "last great bastion standing" when it comes to wine imports to the United States, wine-business analyst Rob McMillan told the New Zealand Wine 2025 Wine Business Forum in August.
OPINION: At the recent Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, the Porto Protocol’s Marta Mendonça said, “Grapes are not the thirstiest of crops, but they are a luxury crop”.
OPINION: Sauvignon Blanc was famously introduced to New Zealand by Ross Spence of Matua Valley, and then serendipitously planted in Marlborough by Frank Yukich and Montana Wines in 1975.
OPINION: As New Zealand's wine industry grapples with figurative dark clouds (and literal for some wine regions of late) this edition lingers instead around the silver edges.
OPINION: An article caught my eye recently, claiming that millennials are increasingly turning to handmade, artisanal products.
With the stars of Matariki to rise in June, Jeff Sinnott, a member of the Tuku Māori Winemakers Collective, looks at their relevance to our grape and wine community.
New Zealand Winegrowers is entering the final phases of a process to update its funding, governance and representation of members.
OPINION: Over the past 25 years growing wine, Jonathan Hamlet has seen "a massive evolution" in the care taken in vineyards.
OPINION: Members will be aware of the significant challenges facing vineyards and wineries (highlighted in our 2024 Annual Report).
OPINION: New Zealand’s wine industry is facing “significant challenges”, writes New Zealand Winegrowers Board Chair Fabian Yukich this month, reflecting on rising costs and eroding profitability, while sluggish domestic and export sales are holding up the movement of wine.
OPINION: There will be many who have noted with sadness the recent death of Peter Taylor, who established Scenic Cellars, the legendary lakefront wineshop in Taupō, in 1981; a vinous treasure trove where customers were as likely to discover a vertical of Cook’s or Mazuran’s as that of DRC or Lafite.
OPINION: The New Year is well underway, and in January the first grapes of the new vintage were harvested in Northland. So, another year begins.
OPINION: A common refrain last year was 'survive 'til 25', including from those in New Zealand's wine industry facing rising costs, surplus wine and sluggish export sales.
After a fairly typical first half of spring there has been a noticeable change in the weather across much of New Zealand.
OPINION: I didn't know what was in the glass when it was handed to me, but I knew it was something special as soon as I smelt it.
OPINION: Whenever I present Te Mata's wines into markets, I often begin by saying that our winery's story is a weird one.
OPINION: Over the years, the use of sulphur dioxide in winemaking has become a complex subject associated with several drawbacks, such as aroma defects and health-related problems.
Dr Amber Parker was guest speaker at the 2024 Southern Pinot Noir Workshop in Hanmer, sharing insights on potential impacts of climate change on viticulture, along with adaptation opportunities, particularly with regard to Pinot Noir. Amber, who is Lincoln University's Director of the Centre for Viticulture and Oenology, shares some of her learnings.
Trade is important to our industry, whether it’s because 90% of our wine sales are in international markets, because of…
The end of the year is fast approaching, so here are some thoughts on a few of the significant developments…
Jimmy Stewart is quite literally chipping away at circularity.
A Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award is “very premature”, say Kevin and Kimberley Judd, nearly 43 years after they came…
Wine tourism has evolved into a sophisticated, diverse and resilient part of the New Zealand wine sector's economy. Emma Jenkins MW talks…
