This year’s grape harvest is up 44% from 2021, providing a much-needed boost to dwindling wine stocks.
“There is no doubt we urgently needed an improved harvest this year after cool weather and frosts impacted Vintage 2021,” New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan said.
According to the 2022 Vintage Survey, the total grape tonnage of the 2022 harvest was 532,000 tonnes, well over the 370,000 tonnes harvested in 2021, which was a drop of 19% on the year before.
As usual, the Marlborough region produced the most grapes, accounting for 80% of the harvest. The Sauvignon blanc grape variety made up the majority, accounting for 76.5% of the national tonnage.
Gregan said that wineries are relieved that they can now rebuild their wine stocks, having experienced a decline in supply lines last year. “Going into vintage, wineries urgently needed a larger harvest as strong demand and smaller than expected crops in recent years had led to a significant shortage of New Zealand wine.”
While the bumper harvest is good news for wineries, the major challenge now is logistics – getting the wine to market.
“Every winery I talk to, the number one thing they talk about is logistics. Now with a larger vintage, it’s particularly important to get that offshore,” Gregan said.
