Support local boutique wineries, plus new drinks to try.
MERMAID MARY encourages us to support small local wineries
If there’s one positive that has come from this pandemic, it’s the shift in our consciousness with regards to buying local. We’re looking closely at provenance and are prepared to pay more for quality goods made here in New Zealand. This is extraordinarily good news for our wine industry where out of the 716 wineries, 624 are considered small, 73 medium-sized and a mere 19 large.
So what constitutes small? In cold hard numbers New Zealand Winegrowers defines it as a winery that sells no more than 200,000 litres of wine annually. A mediumsized winery sells between 200,000 and 2,000,000 litres and a large one sells more than 2,000,000 litres each year.
But boutique wineries are so much more than just numbers. They’re a small business often run by one person, or a husband and wife team who have an employee or two who are part of the extended family. Follow them on social media and you will see their staff, children and their dogs. These wineries are the lifeblood of our wine industry and Covid-19 has hit them hard. The border closure initially meant no tourists at cellar doors, level four lockdown saw no cellar door sales at all combined with the loss of vital sales to then closed bars and restaurants. These are not the wineries whose products you see at the supermarket, so during lockdown, they became invisible and a great deal of them struggled to keep their heads above water.
To support these wineries (and I implore you to do so) all you need do is buy direct from them. In doing so, all of the profit goes to help these businesses survive and thrive.
If you’re not subject to travel restrictions then visit a cellar door for a tasting and take home a few of your favourite wines. If getting to the cellar door is a problem or you’re not close to any wineries, buying online is a very easy way to support these businesses. Most wineries have e-commerce sites and offer deals, like free shipping or a discount, when you buy a case of wine or more.
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