New Zealand's

Te Motu Vineyard, Waiheke Island Murdoch James Estate, Martinborough NEW ZEALAND’S ZIP LED BY THEIR ICONIC SAUV BLANC, NZ VINTNERS KEEP GAINING SHARE BY W. BLAKE GRAY ost countries experience ups and downs with exporting wines to the United States. Australia’s hot, then it’s not. Argentina’s the Mnext big thing, and then it’s scrambling to maintain shelf space. New Zealand, though, just goes up and up, even with a fresh tidal wave of Sauvignon Blanc about to crash on our shores. New Zealand had a huge harvest in “If you look at the amount of wine 2014: nearly 30% bigger than its previous consumed in the U.S., it’s about 375 SORS high, which was 2013. That’s a lot of wine million cases,” said David Strada, U.S. N to sell, and for most countries it would Marketing Manager for New Zealand mean a challenge, but the market drank Winegrowers. “We’re still less than 2% it up. After a normal-sized 2015 harvest, of the country’s consumption. We’re still this year’s harvest is super-sized again, little New Zealand.” EGROWERS OR ITS LICE N I almost as big as 2014. But don’t expect That is certainly the public percep- W D many discounts. tion, and it doesn’t hurt. In reality, New N Last year sales of New Zealand wines Zealand exports more wine than Portugal in the U.S. were up 17% by volume or Argentina. and 18% by value in the stores Nielsen measures. And that’s par for the course. Hobbit Power and Beyond New Zealand exports to the U.S. have “When Sauvignon Blanc started getting HY COURTESY OF NEW ZEALA nearly quadrupled in volume since 2006, really strong, from about the early 2000’s P according to New Zealand Winegrowers. on, at that time, there were the Lord of There has not been a single year with a the Rings movies,” says Ken Mudford, PHOTOGRA dropoff, not even in economic crisis years. Director of Inventory for Sherry-Lehmann Brancott Estate, Marlborough Te Mata Estate, Hawke’s Bay Palliser Estate, Martinborough Wines and Spirits in New York. “There varieties. The locals are helping—unlike Pegasus Bay Winery, Waipara was the America’s Cup, which New export-focused Chile and South Africa, Zealand won at that time. You couldn’t New Zealand has a healthy domestic open the New York Times without there wine market, with consumption up 24% being an article about New Zealand of last year alone. some kind. An awful lot of people visit New Zealand makes excellent Char- New Zealand, too. Tourism is a major donnay (9% of the country’s plant- factor. When you do an in-store tasting, ings) and Riesling, as well as Pinot it’s amazing how many people have been Noir that can be pricey. They’re not to New Zealand. It always surprises me.” completely on America’s radar yet, Sherry-Lehmann might have more but Gary Itkin, general manager and RECOMMENDED New Zealand wine than anywhere else buyer for Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit PRODUCERS in the U.S., with 140 SKUs, according in New York says, “It’s not a big stretch to Mudford. Amazingly, less than half for people.” are Sauvignon Blancs. In fact, Itkin thinks a key reason that SAUVIGNON BLANC But that’s an aberration. For all the New Zealand wine hasn’t faced the kind Dog Point Seresin media attention to Central Otago Pinot of backlash that Australian wine did is Giesen Sileni Estates Noir, 93% of the Kiwi wine exported it “checked the boxes” for sophisticat- Greywacke Tohu to the U.S. is white, and 86.5% of ed wine drinkers from the beginning: Matua Villa Maria New Zealand’s total world exports are “They started with regional identifica- Saint Clair SORS Sauvignon Blanc. tion,” Itkin says. “It was New Zealand, it N “They found a real niche with their was Marlborough. It was New Zealand, PINOT NOIR Sauvignon Blanc,” says Terry Southard, it was Martinborough. There were al- a wine buyer for The Wine Library in ready demarcated areas. When Australia Ata Rangi Peregrine Craggy Range Quartz Reef New Jersey. “That trademark style really was working through its popularity, it Felton Road Rippon EGROWERS OR ITS LICE caught on. Not to mention, it’s a very didn’t really matter where [wine] came N I Neudorf W affordable wine. Between $10 and $15 from. It just became a general wine. It D N they’re able to make a Sauvignon Blanc was Shiraz, that’s it. Every country has OTHER that’s affordable and we’ll be able to regional differences, but if people aren’t make a good margin.” told it’s important, they don’t learn Amisfield Pinot Noir Rosé You wonder when that gravy train it’s important.” Craggy Range Riesling is going to end. New Zealand increased So there’s no reason to expect this Giesen Riesling its planted hectares by 50% in the last wave to lose its potency anytime soon. Huia Brut sparkling wine HY COURTESY OF NEW ZEALA P nine years. But many of the plantings Even with no more Hobbit movies Kumeu River Chardonnay Te Mata Cabernet Merlot are not Sauvignon Blanc, which means on the horizon, Middle Earth’s wine PHOTOGRA the country must sell more of its other industry just stays magical. n.

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