New Zealand’s national wine body, NZ Winegrowers, has published its annual report and the chair’s opening statement always proves to be a mine of information from the vital statistics in production and sales, to the mood of the country’s wine producers.
This year that mood is cautiously optimistic. There’s plenty of reason for optimism – export value has hit a record high of NZ$1.21 billion and botled exports are up while bulk has fallen. Admittedly, export volumes are down 3 percent but that can largely be explained by the fact there wasn’t a whole lotta wine after a small harvest in 2012.
But the cautious tone in the chair’s report cannot be denied. There’s a fear that we’ll repeat the mistakes of the past, failing to learn from the glut caused by the bumper 2008 harvest.
“It is vital growers and wineries and the industry as a whole, learn from the struggles of the recent past,” says Steve Green, on the first page of his chair’s report.
Hooray, things are going well, but don’t mess it up by making too much wine, he warns. “Optimism should never be unbridled but rather should be market led and fact based.”
It’s no surprise that Sauvignon Blanc remains the country’s major export: the variety accounts for 84.5 percent of all exports and Marlborough’s 18,000ha of Sauvignon Blanc is “more than double the largest Sauvignon Blanc region in France,” the Loire Valley. Yet, some local producers seem intent on discrediting it. “Bitch diesel” and “cougar juice” are just two of the terms, winemakers like to call their bread and butter (see my blog “The Sauvignon Blanc Smear Campaign” from March)
Green, who also owns Central Otago winery, Carrick, clearly feels this negativity surrounding Sauvignon needs to be nipped in the bud, reminding its members that unity and reputation are assets that the country needs to protect. The country is too small to have in-fighting.
He takes the platform to remind the country’s producers of the importance of this aromatic variety. “Without the heft of Sauvignon Blanc, the fight for other styles to establish a ‘New Zealand’ category in the global trade would be so much harder.”
Of course, the country doesn’t want to be accused of being a one-trick pony: “The wine world values the consistency of our flagship wine but it also craves diversity. And in order to be taken seriously at the highest levels New Zealand needs to offer prestigious examples of the most highly regarded wine styles including full-bodied reds and Pinot Noir.”
Certainly, Pinot Noir has made its mark on the wine world but there are world-class Rieslings, Chardonnays, Syrahs and Bordeaux blends that most consumers have yet to realise exist.
