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Central Wine Retreat
9-11 August 2026
centralotagowine.co/initiatives/centralwineretreat
Designed for the wine trade, this three day programme gives a small group of guests the opportunity to explore Central Otago through its vineyards, wineries and the people behind them.
25 August
nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents
Winners of the regional competitions will compete at the national final in Wairarapa on 25 August, with the 2026 Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year announced on 27 August.
26 August
nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents
Finalists from five regional Young Viticulturist of the Year competitions will go through to the 2026 Ormond Nurseries Young Viticulturist of the Year National Final in Wairarapa on 26 August, with the winner announced on 27 August.
27 August
nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/nzw26/wbf26/
The NZW 2026 Wine Business Forum, Winning in Changing Markets, will focus on where the next phase of growth will come from for New Zealand wine. The programme explores the wine industry's continually changing operating environment, where (despite current challenges) significant growth opportunities remain in category pockets and in emerging markets, combined with the potential to leverage digital, data and artificial intelligence.
Sonal Holland MW - India's only Master of Wine - will explore opportunities for New Zealand wine in India, and You-Jin Lee, the Head of Business Development for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise in South Korea, will discuss surging wine sales there, backed up by recent consumer research to help accelerate that momentum. Brodie Reid, Tourism New Zealand General Manager Marketing, will reflect on the impacts of the New Zealand Michelin Guide on wine tourism, along with other key opportunities to drive industry growth through wine tourism.
Wine Business Monthly Managing Editor Erin Kirschenmann, and Treasury America's former VP of Digital Experience Justin Noland, now driving AI Enablement at the iconic Duckhorn Vineyards, are also part of a stellar lineup. The forum, to be held at Te Papa in Wellington, is the leading gathering for industry decision makers and will deliver practical, commercial insights, along with valuable peer-to-peer connection.
27 August
nzwine.com/en/initiativesevents/nzw26
This year's NZW Fellows will be honoured at the NZW 2026 Celebration Dinner, to be held at the Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre after the Wine Business Forum. The winners of the Ormond Nurseries Young Viticulturist of the Year and the Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year Competitions will also be announced on the night.
11 September
A Winemakers' Dinner will be held at Cellar 495 the night before the 2026 Hawke's Bay Wine Auction. Guests at this new event will have the opportunity to sample the seven full barrel lots up for auction, including three created through an extraordinary Chardonnay collaboration, and to talk to the winemakers.
12 September
Hawke's Bay wine industry has provided an exception lineup of wines for New Zealand's oldest wine auction. This year's offering includes the Bilancia 'Cinque Terre', offering an opportunity to join winemakers Warren Gibson and Lorraine Leheny, along with Hawke's Bay Wine Auction Ambassador Mike McRoberts, to blend a 2026 Bilancia Chardonnay, made from unique Hawke's Bay soils, before lunch and wine with the winemakers.
14-21 September
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026 has a focus on Te Reo Towns, celebrating the communities that have kept te reo Māori alive, and inviting all of Aotearoa to help it flourish into the future.
17-18 September
hawkesbaywine.co.nz/chardonnay-symposium-2026
Quality is at the heart of the 2026 symposium, to be held in Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke's Bay, with a focus on the unique features that define our whenua, climate and philosophy, and how these elements come together to enable the production of premium Chardonnay. Presenters and attendees will delve into what makes quintessentally great Aotearoa Chardonnay with exceptional quality, texture and balance.
21-27 September 2026
organicwinenz.com/organicwineweek
Featuring pop-up tastings, wine list takeovers, winemaker dinners, retail promotions and more, the week opens a window into the vibrant world of organic wine.
14 November
There is a refreshed format for 2026, with the event hosted exclusively at The Runholder. Eight neighbouring vineyards from the Martinborough wine village will join craft gin and beer producers.
2-4 February 2027
Jermaine Stone (@realwolfofwine) is among the first speakers announced for Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2027.
Calling New Zealand the “undisputed king” of Sauvignon Blanc, the New York wine communicator, known for blending wine and hip hop culture, says the variety’s freshness and tropical character make it a go-to choice when he is overwhelmed by a big wine list.
London-based Felicity Carter, founder of Drinks Insider and Editorial Director at Areni Global, will bring a global perspective on where New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc stands today and what may lie ahead. “New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has had the most impressive run of any wine style of the modern era, and now it’s doing it again,” she says. “With the turn towards fresher, lighter styles of white wine, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect wine to meet the times.” Meanwhile, Charlotte Dagueneau, daughter of the late Didier Dagueneau and based in the Loire Valley, will share her personal connection to the variety. The SBNZ27 programme, to be held in Wairau, Marlborough, is designed to celebrate New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and broaden global perceptions of the category, exploring diverse regional expressions, ageworthy styles and emerging innovations.
1-3 June 2027
Central Otago will host the Organic & Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference from 1–3 June 2027, drawing passionate researchers, practitioners and experts from Aotearoa and beyond.
In the lead-up to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2026, which runs from 14–21 September, viticulturist Jeff Sinnott, a founding member of the Tuku Māori Winemakers Collective, urges New Zealand’s wine industry to embrace and protect te reo Māori.
When Kate Lattey and Koldo Santamaria planted their dream vineyard in 2020, they knew they wanted to work with winemakers who shared their passion for wine “and expressing what the land can say”.
Generative AI in the workplace, trials in the field, and industry-relevant research took centre stage at this year’s Grape Days events in Central Otago, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough.
Lynnette Hudson's 30-year obsession with Pinot Noir was sparked working vintage in Burgundy, seeing how subtle changes in terroir were expressed in the glass. It was, she says, "an elightening moment in every way".
Sir Sam Neill made an extraordinary mark on the world, and on the world of New Zealand wine.
OPINION: The months ahead are important for New Zealand Winegrowers.
OPINION: New Zealand's soils and climate make our wine industry extraordinary. But it is the people behind the vines and…
One of Australia's most decorated winemakers will speak at the Aotearoa New Zealand Chardonnay Symposium in Hawke's Bay this September.
The third Aotearoa New Zealand Chardonnay Symposium will be underway in Hastings, Hawke's Bay, on 17-18 September.
In early May, New Zealand Winegrowers delivered a webinar for members, providing a commercial view of New Zealand wine in…
