‘Small but stunning’: New Zealand Vintage 2019

17-Jun-2019 - Last updated on 17-Jun-2019 at 10:47 GMT

New Zealand's Marlborough region. Pic:getty/cosmity

A warm summer has led to a ‘superb vintage’ for New Zealand’s wine industry, according to New Zealand Winegrowers, although it also marks the third year of smaller-than-expected harvests.

This year’s harvest recorded 413,000 tonnes of grapes, down from 419,000 tonnes last year, but still up from the hit the industry took in 2017 when the harvest came in at 396,000 tonnes due to weather conditions.

“Smaller vintages in 2017 and 2018 meant wineries had to work to manage product shortages, and many of our members hoped for a larger harvest this year,” says New Zealand Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan. “Another smaller-than-expected vintage will mean more supply and demand tension overall.”

But New Zealand Winegrowers says the quality of the harvest is ‘exceptional from top of the North to the bottom of the South Island’.

“We have an international reputation for premium quality and innovation,” says Gregan. “Every vintage is different, but winemakers are excited about the calibre of wine that will be delivered to the bottle and we are confident 2019 vintage wines will be enjoyed by consumers around the world.”

New Zealand exports its wine to more than 100 countries, making it its sixth largest export good.