Dear Tig readers

Here I am back in NZ! This country sparked my love for wine so I think it is appropriate to give my readers some bite-sized facts about NZ wine. (Sources and more detailed statistics at the end of the article; data are for 2012 unless otherwise stated.) For some easy to view charts click on links provided (and rather than the predictable wine pics I hope you enjoy my pics of the iconic Piha beach in Auckland and the airstrip in Wellington – scroll down.)

• How many wineries are there in NZ?
  There were 703 wineries in 2012, three times more than in 1996.
• What is the area of vineyards in NZ?
  In 2012 there were over 34,000 hectares of vines.

***See this chart showing the growth of vineyard area and wineries since the mid-1990s.***

• What types of grapes are grown?
  Sauvignon blanc accounts for 58% of grapevines planted in NZ. The next three largest vine areas are for pinot noir (15%), chardonnay (9%) and pinot gris (7%). (See Table 1) The New Zealand Wines and Wineries website gives a great overview of characteristics of wine grape varieties specific to NZ – simple and clear and very informative.
• Where are the grapes grown?
  Marlborough (66%), Hawke’s Bay (14%), Otago and Gisborne 5% each. (See Table 2)

***See this table for juicy details of wine grapes by region and variety.***

• How much wine does NZ produce?
  In 2012 NZ produced 194 million litres of wine (down from the peak of 235 million litres in 2011).
• Where are the wines sold?
  Sales of NZ wine by value in 2012 (NZ$mn; share of total): Australia (380; 32%), UK (284; 24%), USA (251; 21%), Canada (71; 6%).

***See this chart showing the growth of NZ wine export volume and value since the mid-1990s.***

Table 1: Areas of vines by grape variety, 2012

Table 2: Areas of vines in the main winegrowing regions of NZ, 2012

Sources:

Wines of NZ

NZ Winegrowers

Tigs with friend at Weta studios, Miramar, Wellington

Lion Rock and black sand at Piha Beach, Auckland

Wellington air strip