New Zealand driving UK wine market

In the on-trade, the country’s wine sales are up 24% and 34% over the long and short term respectively, according to data from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association and CGA.

“It’s great to see New Zealand wine continue to perform so strongly and grow at such a healthy rate, bringing value and volume to a market which is otherwise in decline,” Chris Stroud, European marketing manager for New Zealand Winegrowers, said.

“We would like to see a wider range of New Zealand wine styles feature on more wine lists across restaurants, pubs and bars. With their unique flavours and approachable nature, New Zealand wines are ideally suited to be enjoyed with food.”

The wine region is also performing as the front runner in premium price points, particularly the £7.01 - £8.00 segment of the off-trade market, where it remains the market leader and enjoys a 22% share of volume and growth of 23%, according to October 2015 data from Nielsen.

For all price points above £7, New Zealand sits behind only France in terms of volume and value of sales.

The advance is largely driven by New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which is the UK’s leading grape variety with an 11% share of the overall market.