Harvest crunch hits wine
Marlborough’s wine vintage is down 21 per cent on last year’s crop and is the smallest harvest since 2015.
Early frosts and cool weather during the flowering season were factors in the drop which will leave some wineries struggling to meet demand.
NZ Winegrowers figures released on Friday showed 269,521 tonnes of grapes were harvested in Marlborough this year.
Across New Zealand 370,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested during the 2021 vintage, down 19 per cent on last year’s crop.
Regions throughout the middle of the country, including Wairarapa, Marlborough, Nelson and North Canterbury, were affected the most, down by more than 20 per cent on 2020. However, there was some variability across different parts of the country, with Central Otago the one region to increase its crop – up 21 per cent on last year.
NZ Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said wineries would struggle to meet demand.
‘‘While the quality is exceptional, the overall smaller harvest means many of our wineries will face tough decisions over who they can supply in their key markets. There is going to be some supply and demand tension
because of this, with the shortfall in the crop equivalent to roughly 7 million 9-litre cases of New Zealand wine,’’ said Gregan. Large winery Pernod Ricard said its New Zealand wine brands Brancott Estate and Stoneleigh would be unable to meet global Marlborough sauvignon blanc supply this year. Small Marlborough familyowned Marisco Vineyards said it was forced to turn down new customers and prioritise its longtime customer base. The whole industry has also been facing increased production costs and ongoing labour shortages due to border closures. There was an ‘‘unprecedented demand’’ from export markets. Gregan said New Zealand hit a record-breaking $2 billion in wine exports at the end of last year. ‘‘Ongoing strong export performance reflects the appreciation that the world has for New Zealand wine, and reinforces the industry’s reputation for distinct, premium and sustainable wines. ‘‘It is encouraging to see that during these uncertain times, consumers continue to choose a premium product they know that they can trust. ‘‘Wines from vintage 2021 promise to be something special but, in some instances, the question may just be whether there is enough to go around,’’ Gregan said. New Zealand exports wines to more than 100 countries, with the largest markets in Britain, United States and Australia.