The total volume of wine grapes collected in the upcoming harvest season may be less than that seen in the past two record harvests, but not by much.According to New Zealand Winegrowers' annual pre-vintage survey, it is now expecting only a “margina
The total volume of wine grapes collected in the upcoming harvest season may be less than that seen in the past two record harvests, but not by much.
According to New Zealand Winegrowers’ annual pre-vintage survey, it is now expecting only a “marginally smaller” grape intake than that seen in the past two years.
About 285,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested in both 2007 and 2008, sparking concerns of a wine glut as oversupply issues saw prices tumble and more bulk wine sold in the export market.
New Zealand Winegrowers now expects between 265,000 and 285,000 tonnes to be harvested in 2010 after collating data from 59 medium and large wineries which accounted for 88% of the last vintage.
The wine industry organisation has been pushing the line of quality over quantity for the past two years and the predicted harvest comes despite a 2000 hectare increase in the amount of land used for grapegrowing.
NZ Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said the prospect of a slightly reduced vintage, despite a further increase in the producing area, was a testament to the industry’s focus on quality.
Despite the always unpredictable weather, Mr Gregan was positive about the outlook for the vintage.
“Although in some regions the harvest seems to be running a week or two later than last year, the prospects for the vintage are looking good. The key for a successful harvest will be the weather over the next two months.”
