Marlborough's harvest is a 'savalanche'

Marlborough has had a huge grape harvest, so big that is locally being referred to as a ‘savalanche’ due to the prominence of Sauvignon Blanc in the region.

The harvest is expected to be at least 25% bigger than last year’s record 121,000 tonnes, according to Warren Adamson, UK & Europe Director of New Zealand Winegrowers, with around 75% of it being Sauvignon Blanc.

Demand for the kiwi wine abroad has been outstripping supply for a while, so the bumper crop will help ease the situation somewhat, although Warren warned that, ‘In some areas, notably Hawkes Bay and Gisborne, we are expecting smaller crops than last year.’

As far as prices this year are concerned though, Warren told ThirtyFifty that, ‘It is too early to say what will happen. He did, however point out that, ‘Key drivers which have underpinned recent price increases remain unchanged, for example wineries investing heavily in quality production systems, high grape and other costs in New Zealand, the high NZ dollar and UK tax increases.’

Looking ahead, New Zealand will be producing more and more wine. Warren said, ‘In total we are seeing an increase of 2,000 hectares this year, moving the national harvest coverage to around 27,000 hectares,’ and he added, ‘We will see continued growth in the coming years.’ This, he said, is due to strong and growing demand for New Zealand wines in the super-premium and above levels in the country’s key markets, such as the UK.