NZW 200 YEARS CELEBRATION
Chair’s Report Perhaps more than any other year in recent times, this was a year of two halves.
During the first half of the year the
thriving New Zealand wine industry
In New Zealand, we were privileged
industry celebrated its past, and
where - every second of everyday -
to be able to complete our grape
looked ahead with optimism. The
80 glasses of its distinctive wine are
harvest as “essential businesses”, but
second half reminded us just how
sold somewhere in the world.
the effort and stress involved in doing
unpredictable the world can be, how
so safely was high. Our total 2020
crucial it is to plan for the unexpected,
A milestone was reached in February,
harvest of 457,000 tonnes reflects
and react with agility when the
with the opening of the Bragato
the near perfect growing conditions
unexpected arrives.
Research Institute’s Research Winery.
experienced in most of the country,
This new facility provides us a base
and a 2% increase in planted area
In September we celebrated the
from which to set the national
to 39,935 hectares. The successful
200th anniversary of the day on
research agenda, trial world-first
harvest was good news for growers
which the very first grape vines
technologies, conduct commercial
who have only one opportunity each
were planted into New Zealand
trials, and connect educators and
year to generate the income to carry
soils, by Reverend Samuel Marsden
students to science and industry. Our
them through the next 12 months.
at Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands.
major levy-funded research projects
Over 100 winegrowers and others
focus on sustainability (through our
For wineries, the impact on sales
commemorated the milestone with an
vineyard ecosystems pest & disease
of the lockdown and the COVID-19
event at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds
project), diversification (through our
response has been highly variable.
and a ceremony at the historic Stone
lighter wines project) and quality
Positively, for those wineries whose
Store at Kerikeri, where a new vine
(through our Pinot Noir project).
focus is on supermarket and ‘big’
was planted to mark the beginning
A potential new project to develop
retail channels, sales have increased.
of the next 200 years.
new more resilient Sauvignon Blanc
This reflects the positive reputation
vines is under development.
that New Zealand wines have with
This was a chance to acknowledge
consumers and retailers.
many of the industry’s pioneers,
But these positive notes cannot
and reflect on the difficult journey
obscure the turmoil that the COVID-19
For other wine businesses the story is
from colonial outpost through six
coronavirus pandemic has inflicted
more challenging. Physical distancing
o’clock closing, to painful economic
since it hit the world.
measures have either halted or
reforms, and ultimately to a
significantly slowed on-premise u
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