Wines from New Zealand

However, the country’s winemaking history dates back over a century: in 1840, the year of the Treaty of Waitangi formalizing New Zealand’s entry into the Commonwealth, the first bottle of wine had already been produced. Indeed, since the first vineyard was planted on the island in 1819, numerous immigrants, explorers, and missionaries have contributed to this endeavor. British, French, and Croatian settlers succeeded one another throughout the 19th century to develop viticulture in New Zealand, but the country was struck by vine diseases and phylloxera, significantly slowing the growth of this nascent industry.

It was not until World War II that the wine industry boomed. Import taxes rose, and the government facilitated the sector’s growth. In the 1960s and 1970s, New Zealand received massive investments from the United States and Australia, leading to a marked improvement in winemaking practices and wine quality—which had initially been predominantly light, fruity, and slightly sweet, based on Müller-Thurgau.

In the 1990s, following the removal of customs barriers on foreign wine imports, the New Zealand wine industry faced competition from Australia. It therefore significantly expanded its export strategy, growing from NZ$18 million in 1990 to NZ$1.5 billion in 2015. 

New wineries have sprung up from the North Island to Central Otago, and there are now 670 in total.

According to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, in 2015, New Zealand was the 17th largest wine-producing country (by volume), accounting for nearly 1% of global production.