Marlborough still produces more wine than any other NZ growing region with a whopping 73 per cent of total production. That growth seems set to continue so the success of NZ wine is in lockstep with the success of Marlborough sauvignon blanc. Photo: NZ Winegrowers
“In 2026, NZ had an increase in overall sales of wine of eight per cent, a remarkable statistic given the global decline in wine sales generally,” reports wine columnist RICHARD CALVER.
My fondness for New Zealand and NZ wines is a bias that I confess, eh.
Richard Calver.
Which reminds me of a story. An Aussie, a Kiwi and a South African are at a bar one night having a glass of red, each red from their respective countries.
All of a sudden the South African takes off his diamond encrusted watch, pulls out a gun and shoots the watch to pieces. He says: “In my country we have so many diamonds that we don’t need to wear the same diamond twice”.
The Kiwi (obviously impressed by this boast) finishes his wine, throws the glass into the air, grabs the South African’s gun and shoots the glass to pieces.
He says: “Well, in NZ we have so much sand to make the glass that we don’t need to drink out of the same one twice”.
The Australian then leans over, grabs the gun and shoots the Kiwi.
The NZ wine industry in 2026 had much more success than that ill-fated Kiwi. The recently released New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Report 2026 shows that NZ had an increase in overall sales of wine of eight per cent, a remarkable statistic given the global decline in wine sales generally. According to Wine Australia, in 2026 worldwide wine consumption fell to its lowest level since 1961.
The NZ success is on the back of record export growth to $2.108 billion. At the same time, in line with a decline in production in Australia, the NZ vintage 2026 delivered a smaller harvest of about 440,000 tonnes, down 15 per cent on the previous year.
The report says this factor brought production into closer balance with current market demand and supports the industry’s focus on sustainable long-term growth.
The leading grape continues to be sauvignon blanc, especially Marlborough savvy b. The export data shows that 276,242 million litres of this varietal were exported to the year ended June 2026.
That’s out of a total export of 307,867 million litres, so savvy b was around 90 per cent of all exports.
The number one destination for NZ wine is the US, then Britain with Australia coming in third.
The second biggest exported wine is also a white: pinot gris.
The pinot noir export market hasn’t recovered from its high point in 2018, but is the third biggest export varietal. NZ pinot noirs remain one of my favourite wines, especially those from the Otago region, the southernmost wine-growing region in the world.
Marlborough still produces more wine than any other NZ growing region with a whopping 73 per cent of total production. That growth seems set to continue so the success of NZ wine is in lockstep with the success of Marlborough sauvignon blanc.
Despite the good export data, the chair, Fabian Yukich, says NZ winegrowers are experiencing some of the same problems that have beset the Australian wine industry: an imbalance between supply and demand causing higher inventory levels, reduced domestic demand and pricing pressure on sectors of the industry.
“Optimism is the sunshine of the soul radiated in action.” –William George Jordan
Hats off to the National Gallery for repositioning its café – Oculus Café x Kitchen by Mike – to the ground-floor foyer with views of the Sculpture Garden, writes dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.
Bargains, homemade treats and community spirit are on the menu as Goodwin Village Farrer residents prepare for their annual Market Day on October 24. This is a sponsored post.
An underused patio could become an extra living room, home office or entertaining space without a major extension. This sponsored post explores how to make the transformation affordable.
Leave a Reply