Viticulture in New Zealand

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Map with wine-growing regions

The New Zealand Wine has a relatively young company, but with the wines Sauvignon Blanc , Pinot Noir and Chardonnay , he has secured the place as eight largest export industry in the country.

history

The viticulture in New Zealand ranges of the country back to the colonial period. Even if the origins of the wine industry in New Zealand cannot be clearly determined, at least the year 1819 is considered to be the first mention of the cultivation of wine , when Samuel Marsden , an Anglican missionary , according to his diary entry, cultivated 100  vines in the settlement Church Missionary Society in Kerikeri on his second trip to New Zealand. But it is believed that Charles Gordon , superintendent of agriculture, had introduced viticulture in Rangihoua and Waitangi as early as 1817 .

However, the beginning of professional viticulture is connected with James Busby , who, trained as a winemaker in Bordeaux , used vines from his family's vineyard in Hunter Valley , New South Wales in 1833 to grow wine on his property in Waitangi . Busby had also published two books on the subject of viticulture.

Abstinence movements and curious legislation initially prevented the emergence of significant viticulture in New Zealand. From 1908 onwards, the sale of alcoholic beverages was banned in some areas, and from 1917 onwards, wine could no longer be sold in restaurants. In hotels it was still possible to buy wine, but it was limited to no more than twelve bottles per buyer. The serving of wine in restaurants was not released again until 1960, and from 1990 the free sale of wine in supermarkets followed.

Vines suitable for wine production were imported from Europe from 1970 onwards, with Müller-Thurgau mainly still being planted. From 1992 Chardonnay took its place; Since 2005 at the latest it has been the Sauvignon Blanc . In the beginning, the North Island, which was almost subtropical in parts, was the main growing area for New Zealand wine, from 1990 onwards wine was increasingly grown on the South Island with its moderately warm summers and mild winters.

In New Zealand, experimental viticulture has recently begun with great success in some regions: Ecologists , climatologists and geologists are specifically looking for regions in which viticulture is unknown to date, but whose soils and microclimates offer the best conditions for viticulture. With the aim of producing internationally competitive first-class wines, new wine-growing businesses were then founded after scientific analyzes.

Wine as an economic factor

The harvest from 1994 to 2007

Viticulture in New Zealand is playing an increasingly important role in the country's economic life, with export orientation dominating the wine industry and the wine industry becoming the eighth most important export sector in the country in 2011.

In 2012, 269,000 tons of vines were harvested from a cultivated area of ​​34,269 hectares . Due to the weather, this was 18% less than in the previous year, in which 328,000 tons were brought in, but the trend is increasing every year.

Most of the wine produced was exported, also with an upward trend. While it was still 0.5 million liters exported in 1982, the amount rose to over 7 million liters in 1992, followed by 57 million in 2006. In 2011 New Zealand exported just under 179 million liters, 70% of its wine, with an increase of 16% compared to the previous year. The turnover from exports amounted to NZ $ 1.18 billion in 2011 , 8% more than in the previous year.

Since 1981, the export share in the New Zealand wine industry has increased from 2% to 12% in 1991, 35% in 2001, to 70% in 2011. Preferred export countries were the United Kingdom with 24%, Australia with 20%, the United States with 15% and Canada with 3% export share. Only 8% of exports went to the rest of the world.

The number of New Zealand wine producers can only be estimated. In the New Zealand Winegrowers , the association of independent grape and wine producers founded in March 2002, as of 2013 around 1000 winegrowers and almost 700 wineries were organized. The majority of the wineries, 609 in total, were among the small producers in 2013, each with less than 200,000 liters of wine per year, while the 15 largest wine producers with their annual wine output were over 4 million liters in the same period. Only 68 wineries were in the midfield.

Grape varieties according to cultivation area

Area under cultivation of leading grape varieties in New Zealand in hectares (as of 2013)
Item sorts Wine synonym 1999 2002 2005 2008 2013 Shares 2013 comment
1. ' Sauvignon Blanc ' WW 2.008 3,685 7,043 13,998 20,083 57.97%
2. ' Pinot Noir ' RW Pinot Noir 826 2,029 3,757 4,650 5.126 14.80%
3. ' Chardonnay ' WW 2,449 3,427 3,804 3,881 3,140 9.06%
4th ' Pinot Gris ' WW Pinot Gris 90 232 489 1,383 2,389 6.90%
5. ' Merlot ' RW 532 1,077 1,492 1,363 1,224 3.53%
6th ' Riesling ' WW 432 529 811 917 742 2.14%
7th ' Syrah ' RW Shiraz 51 117 238 278 384 1.11%
8th. ' Gewürztraminer ' WW 103 178 257 316 318 0.92%
9. ' Cabernet Sauvignon ' RW 653 745 614 516 311 0.90%
10. ' Viognier ' WW 150 0.43%
11. ' Malbec ' RW Cot 49 116 163 156 138 0.40%
12. ' Cabernet Franc ' RW 111 170 180 166 109 0.31%
13. ' Sémillon ' WW 215 233 240 199 71 0.20%
14th ' Sauvignon Gris ' WW 60 0.17%
16. ' Muscatel ' WW 191 135 139 135 47 0.14% In 2013, Muscat was far behind in 16th place with 0.14%
17th ' Pinotage ' RW 65 87 85 74 45 0.13% In 2013, Pinotage was far behind in 17th place with 0.13%
20th ' Chenin Blanc ' WW 154 113 58 50 23 0.07% In 2013, Chenin Blanc was far behind in 22nd place with 0.07%
24. ' Reichensteiner ' WW 65 87 85 72 14th 0.04% In 2013, Reichensteiner was far behind in 24th place with 0.04%
36. ' Müller-Thurgau ' WW 520 307 137 79 2 0.01% In 2013, Müller-Thurgau was far behind in 36th place with 0.01%
total 34,643 100.00%
White wine WW 27,221 78.58%
red wine RW 7,422 21.42%

Source: New Zealand Wine 2013

Growing areas

North island

In Northland , with its almost Mediterranean climate, Chardonnay , Pinot Gris and Viognier are preferred as white wines. In terms of red wines, we find Syrah , Pinotage and the new variety of the red Chambourcin . The Northland Wine Growers Association , which was founded in 2007, had over 50 members in 2013 and described viticulture in Northland as a rapidly growing industry.

The classic growing areas of Henderson , Kumeu and Huapai around Auckland were supplemented by Waiheke Island , Matakana and Clevedon . Mainly Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon come from them , but Pinot Gris , Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc can also be found in the vineyards.

Both of them are not yet so important as wine-growing regions, you will mainly find Cabernet Sauvignon , Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay there .

Gisborne is one of the wine regions in which Chardonnay is preferred and is also known for the Gewürztraminer . Recently there have also been growing areas for Viognier , Pinot Gris and Chenin Blanc, and Merlot , Malbec and Pinotage as red wines .

After the decline of Müller-Thurgau no longer the main wine-growing region of New Zealand, Hawke's Bay is still one of the oldest and second largest wine regions in New Zealand. With over 80% of the red wine produced in New Zealand, the region has an exceptional position in the wine market. The red varieties Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot and Syrah and the white wine Chardonnay can be found .

In the main wine-growing areas around the towns of Masterton , Gladstone and Martinborough , the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir is preferred, the latter to a greater extent.

South island

Viticulture in Central Otago

With around 79% of the total wine production and 23,600 hectares of cultivation area, the Marlborough region is by far the largest wine-growing area in New Zealand today. The main wine-growing area was and is the Wairau Valley , but Fairhall , Hawkesbury and Waihopai have been added in recent years . Sauvignon Blanc is mainly grown , but Pinot Noir is also at home in the region.

With 813 hectares of cultivation area and around 2.5% of New Zealand's wine production, the growing area in the Nelson region is quite small. Sauvignon Blanc , Pinot Noir , Chardonnay , Pinot Gris and Riesling are preferred here .

The Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir varieties , which have been grown in the region since 1982 , mainly come from this area . Canterbury is New Zealand's fourth largest growing area.

With around 80 vineyards and 1,200 hectares of cultivation area, the Waipara Valley is New Zealand's fastest growing cultivation area in 2013. You can find Pinot Noir and Riesling as regional specialties as well as Pinot Gris , Chardonnay and of course Sauvignon Blanc .

The Waitaki Valley was New Zealand's youngest wine region in 2001. It is located in the border region between the north of the Otago region and the south of the Canterbury region . Since then, mainly Pinot Noir , Pinot Gris , Riesling and Gewürztraminer have been grown .

Central Otago is New Zealand's highest and most southerly wine region in the world. Around 80% of the cultivation area is used for Pinot Noir , the rest is divided into Riesling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay .

Web links

Commons : Viticulture in New Zealand  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Bernard John Foster : Wines of New Zealand . In: Alexander Hare McLintock (Ed.): An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . Wellington 1966 (English, online and 2 other pages [accessed December 15, 2015]).
  2. ↑ NZ's first grape vines planted? . In: New Zealand History Online . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , December 20, 2012, accessed June 3, 2013 .
  3. ↑ a b NZ's first grape vines planted? . In: New Zealand History Online . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , December 20, 2012, accessed on June 3, 2013 (English, expanded text).
  4. ^ Wine - 19th-century origins - First wine production . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , July 13, 2012, accessed June 3, 2013 .
  5. ^ Wine . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , July 13, 2012, accessed June 3, 2013 .
  6. ^ Wine industry . Deloitte , accessed June 5, 2013 .
  7. ^ A b Vineyard Register Report . (PDF; 904 kB) New Zealand Wine , accessed on June 4, 2013 (English).
  8. ↑ New Zealand Vintage Report 2012 . (PDF; 175 kB) New Zealand Wine , June 15, 2012, accessed on June 4, 2013 (English).
  9. ^ Wine - New World, New Markets . In: Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , July 13, 2012, accessed June 3, 2013 .
  10. ^ A b New Zealand Wine Key Markets 1981-2011 . (PDF; 270 kB) New Zealand Wine , accessed on June 5, 2013 (English).
  11. ↑ Anual Report 2012 . (PDF; 2.1 MB) New Zealand Wine , March 2012, accessed on June 5, 2013 (English).
  12. ↑ About NZ Winegrowers . New Zealand Wine , archived from the original on October 12, 2013 ; accessed on March 23, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).
  13. ↑ Wineries by Region & Category Feb 2013 . (PDF; 23 kB) New Zealand Wine , accessed on June 5, 2013 (English).
  14. ↑ Homepage . Northland Winegrowers Association , accessed June 5, 2013 .
  15. ↑ Wineries - Auckland . New Zealand Wine , archived from the original on May 21, 2013 ; accessed on March 23, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).
  16. ↑ Wineries - Bay of Plenty . New Zealand Wine , archived from the original on July 2, 2013 ; accessed on March 23, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).
  17. ↑ Wineries - Waikato . New Zealand Wine , archived from the original on July 2, 2013 ; accessed on March 23, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).
  18. ^ Gisborne Wine Region . Gisborne Wine New Zealand , accessed June 5, 2013 .
  19. ↑ Homepage . Hawkes Bay Wine Growers , accessed June 5, 2013 .
  20. ↑ Wineries - Wairarapa . New Zealand Wine , archived from the original on May 20, 2013 ; accessed on March 23, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).
  21. ↑ Homepage . Wine Marlborough New Zealand , accessed June 5, 2013 .
  22. ↑ Nelson Wines . Nelson Winegrowers Association , archived from the original on June 9, 2014 ; accessed on December 24, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).
  23. ↑ Canterbury Wine . Wines of Canterbury , archived from the original on July 27, 2013 ; accessed on March 23, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).
  24. ↑ Welcome to the Waipara Valley . Waipara Valley Wine Growers , accessed June 5, 2013 .
  25. ↑ Wineries - Waitaki . New Zealand Wine , archived from the original on December 16, 2013 ; accessed on December 24, 2015 (English, original website no longer available).
  26. ↑ Wineries - Central Otago . New Zealand Wine , archived from the original on June 3, 2013 ; accessed on March 23, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).