New Zealand wine exports show resilience and growth amid challenging year

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has released its 2026 Annual Report, with exports reaching $2.108 billion and export volume increasing to 306.2 million litres in the 12 months to June 2026. NZW said the result “reflects an overall sales increase of 8% driven by export growth and represents the industry’s second-highest June year total on record”. “In the face of a challenging global and domestic environment, New Zealand wine continued to outperform the wider category in key markets, providing grounds for confidence in the long-term prospects of New Zealand wine,” it said. Meanwhile, individual businesses across the sector were making adjustments. Vintage 2026 delivered a smaller harvest of approximately 440,000 tonnes, down a significant 15% on the previous year, bringing production “into closer balance with current market demand and supporting the industry’s focus on sustainable long-term growth”.