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New Zealand wine yields up 6%

Yields were up 6% in the wine-growing regions of New Zealand for the 2018 wine harvest, with red varieties making a significant comeback after a challenging vintage last year, according to a statement from New Zealand Winegrowers.

A warm Summer benefited New Zealand’s winegrowing regions, with 419,000 tonnes of grapes harvested during this year’s vintage, reports the association.

But this yield growth is still behind winegrowers’ initial predictions.

Many wineries had been hoping for an even larger vintage, given 2017’s small harvest, said NZW’s Chief Executive Philip Gregan, “However, we now expect export growth in the year ahead will be modest. It will be up to wineries to manage any product shortages from the vintage”.

Red varieties such as Pinot Noir and Merlot were the standout successes this year, reports the NZW, with yields up 20%.

“These varieties were down sharply in 2017 and it’s very positive to see a return to more normal production levels this year,” said Philip Gregan, “Every vintage is different and ultimately the final test is the quality delivered in the bottle to consumers”.

New Zealand wine exports are currently valued at around €1billion, up 3%.

New Zealand was the only country to see an increase in the volume of its wines sold in the UK on-trade, according to Accolade’s 2018 Wine Nation report, with volumes up 7%.

 

 

 

 


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