Wine from New Zealand became the country’s sixth biggest export commodity last year, albeit still lagging traditional product sectors such as dairy products and meat.
The news comes as New Zealand’s 2015 grape harvest gets ahead, with prospects so far looking good in quality terms – although it is set to be ‘significantly smaller’ than the record 2014 crop.
New Zealand’s wine exports have more than doubled in volume terms since 200. Export value rose by more than 60% over the same timescale.
Australia, the US and the UK dominate export demand for the country’s wines – and for Sauvignon Blanc in particular – but markets like the Netherlands and Germany have also grown strongly in the past few years.