NEW ZEALAND: Discovery and Experience

Through the combination of their soil, climate and water, their innovative and pioneering spirit, and their commitment to quality, New Zealand wines all come together to deliver pure, intense and diverse experiences.

The country's wine producing regions are found between the 36° and 45° latitudes, spreading out over 100 km. In the northern hemisphere, this would be equivalent in positioning and breadth to Bordeaux down to southern Spain.

The temperate maritime climate brings lots of strong and clear sunshine during the day, while at night there are cool breezes, lengthening the ripening time. It is warmer in the north, so that harvest times for the same grape can differ by 6-7 weeks from one end of the country to the other.

New Zealand excels at producing cool-climate grapes and wines. Their Sauvignon Blanc is recognised throughout the world as a definitive benchmark style for the grape. It has pungent flavours of gooseberries, passionfruit and lime, as well as red pepper and herbal characters. They produce Pinot Noir worthy of great Burgundy, and their Chardonnay and sparkling wines are highly sought after.

New Zealand cuisine is inspired both by the traditional kitchens of France and Italy, as well as the exotic dishes from Asia and the Pacific Rim. Wine styles have evolved to match, with bright and zesty Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling for subtle spices, and mellow and complex Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blends and Pinot Noir for classical European dishes.

New Zealanders are very aware that they live and work in an unspoiled paradise, and have every intention of keeping it that way, by producing wine in a sustainable and environmental manner. They established Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand in 1995, which sets industry standards and provides "best practice" models that protect the environment, efficiently and economically produce premium grapes and wines, and ensure environmental, social and economic sustainability in the vineyard and in the cellar. See the New Zealand Wines web site for more details .

Such cooperation across the wine producing industry has had significantly positive results. The number of wineries increased from 293 in 1998 to 585 in 2008. Vines planted went from 7580ha in 1998 to 29 310ha in 2008. Export sales increased from $98M in 1998 to $798M in 2008. And wine and food tourism is a major thrust, both for foreigners as well as for locals.