An Overview on New Zealand Winemaking Industry and the Chinese Wine Market

Photo & Text :Maxime LU

Source: ProWine China

In February, I was invited to visit most major wine regions in New Zealand. During the visit, I visited some chateaus with different styles and attended Regional Wines Tastings, which presented a complete picture of the southern-most wine producing country in the world. New Zealand wines feature consistent quality and reasonable price. They are lively, pure and full-bodied. They have clean aromas and distinctive characters. In particular, they boast of rich diversity, which is openly criticized by a lot of Chinese wine enthusiasts.

New Zealand stretches roughly 1,600 km from the North Island (36° S) to Central Otago (47° S), the world’s southern-most wine region. The country has a maritime climate, with all vineyards lying less than 130 km to the coast. Plenty of sunshine in the daytime and cool sea breeze at night result in big temperature difference in many wine regions, offering ideal production conditions for the growth of wine grapes. Being a coastal country, New Zealand rarely has extreme weather conditions. In addition, due to frequent crustal activities (numerous earthquakes and volcanoes), the change of river channels and human factors, New Zealand has complicated ground features and landforms, diverse soil constitutions as well as extremely different microclimates in different parcels. All these terroirs guarantee the diversity of local wines.

Another aspect worth noting is that grape planting in New Zealand originated in 1819, while the country’s winemaking industry hadn’t taken off until forty years ago, not being fettered by traditions. Rapid promotion of new technologies and constant innovation have been witnesses ever since. Meanwhile, local terroirs have been explored. Thanks to these efforts, the grape planting and winemaking techniques of the country’s winemaking industry have reached the world’s top level. The research on the microclimates and parcels in grape planting regions has reached a high level. As a result, the features of different parcels can be fully utilized. For instance, Pinot Noir grown in Wairarapa, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury/Waipara Valley and Central Otago all have unique regional characteristics.

In terms of area, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are New Zealand’s leading varieties. In addition, there are quite a few aromatic varieties, such as Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Many winemaking practitioners are from other countries, where different grape varieties are planted. They are seeking for ideal vineyards to plant new varieties, such as Sangiovese, Malbec, Tempranilo, Albarino and Gruner Veltliner. New grape varieties with outstanding characteristics are planted. The diversification of grape varieties will be a trend of the country’s winemaking industry.

According to data of 2014, the overall plantings in New Zealand is 35,510 ha (1% higher than 2013), less than one-third of that of Bordeaux. The country produced 320 million liters of wine in that year, accounting for only 1% of the world’s total. New Zealand’s winemaking industry is small in scale. However, the unit price of wine ranks high among all wine producing countries. Therefore, the country pursues the strategy of offering wine with top quality. In New Zealand, 95% of chateaus are members of Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand (SWNZ), and some of them even meet the standards of carbon neutrality.

New Zealand’s forward-looking winemaking industry strives to promote government legislation in a bid to enhance IPR protection and crack down on counterfeiting and infringement on local varietals. In April 2015, New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development and New Zealand Winegrowers jointly declared to establish the Geographical Indications (GI) system to protect the country’s internationally famed winemaking regions and varietals. It’s expected that the system will be established by the end of this year.

New Zealand winemaking industry entered the Chinese market in 2007. At that time, French wines dominated China’s imported wine market. In 2008, China and New Zealand signed the Free Trade Agreement, a turning point for the promotion of New Zealand wines in China. Soon, China rose to New Zealand’s biggest trading partner. According to the FTA between the two countries, zero tariffs will be imposed on New Zealand wines exported to China as from January 1, 2012, further cementing the confidence of New Zealand winemaking industry.

In market expansion, New Zealand winemaking industry is also pragmatic and ambitious. The growth rate of export value of wines is the highest of the country’s exported goods. In the end of 2014, wine ranked No.6 in the country’s exports.

With a small winemaking industry, New Zealand pursues the path of providing the finest varietal wines. Based on research and analysis on the Chinese wine market with huge potential, the country has worked out pragmatic and forward-looking promotional plans. Several years ago, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and New Zealand Winegrowers jointly introduced the highly efficient Wine High Impact Programme. Under the programme, influential wine experts from New Zealand participated in various campaigns in the Chinese wine market to build the country’s image as a leading winemaker.

Selected measures in recent years:
– Launching a dedicated Chinese website to promote New Zealand wines;
– Organizing New Zealand wine trade fairs regularly, with workshops, symposiums and food & wine matching dinners;
– Organizing delegations to participate in the most influential local wine trade fairs, such as Prowine China;
– Organizing key opinion leaders (KOL) and experts in China’s winemaking industry for study tours in New Zealand’s winemaking regions, and establishing KIWI CLUB for networking to enable more consumers to gain a knowledge of New Zealand wines;
– Carrying out traditional and social media-based marketing campaigns, for instance, interacting with consumers and publishing information via Weibo (microblog) and WeChat;
– Offering educational programs for New Zealand winemaking practitioners, for instance, holding workshops in the country to help local wineries to gain a better understanding of the Chinese market, so as to work out effective development strategies and expansion plans.

Meanwhile, New Zealand winemaking industry often launches training programs on local wines. For instance, in April, top wine masters from the country offered New Zealand wine certification programs for professionals. In addition to tier-1 cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, training and certification systems are expected to cover tier-2 and tier 3 cities leading wine consumption.

Thanks to consistent efforts of New Zealand winemaking industry, the country’s wine exports to China rose from 268,000 liters (RMB 12.5 million in value) in 2007 to 1,920,000 liters (RMB 131 million in value) in 2014. In 2014, China became New Zealand’s sixth biggest destinations of wine exports, ranking after Australia, the U.S., the UK, Canada and the Netherlands.

Since the second half of 2012, the Chinese wine market has witnessed continued depression due to policy changes. In particular, the year 2014 is regarded as the most sluggish period. China’s total wine imports decreased by 5.7% compared with that of 2013. Nevertheless, wines imported from New Zealand rose by 34% in value and 11% in quantity during the same period. New Zealand wines have further expanded the share in China’s imported wine market. New Zealand winemaking industry has seen more potential in the Chinese market.

New Zealand winemaking industry has much confidence and expectations on the Chinese market. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and New Zealand Winegrowers have jointly defined the goal towards the Chinese market in the next 5 years: The country’s wine exports to China will reach NZ$150 million by 2020. We are keen to see whether the goal will be realized.

– LU Jiang ( Maxime LU )

2015年份报告:新西兰

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编译:王智慧

官方数据要到六月初才能对外公布,不过目前所有的报告都显示: 新西兰2015年普遍干燥的气候,和部分地区的早期霜冻使得今年成为产量很低的一年。

新西兰最大葡萄酒产区马尔堡,前后发生共计15次霜冻。开花期的低温和80年来最干燥的气候导致低产,尤以长相思为甚。初步估计15年产量将比2014低15%-40%。

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圣诞老人驾着雪橇四处巡视那段时间,新西兰正值炎热干燥的夏季。一月下旬这个地区已在气象记录中确认的写下干旱,并迎来7个月以来最低的降雨量。这意味着病害压力不大,葡萄果实小而浓缩。

收获季节开始的早也结束的早。葡萄种植者Callum Linklater说,“我们三月初期开始采收黑皮诺,而大部分葡萄园在四月第一周采收工作就已完成。”

今年的收获季是Cloudy Bay有过最早的一次之一。酿酒师Nick Blampied-Lane描述长相思为“饱满成熟的水果——不是能够清晰感受到绿色风味的年份,有白色核果的味道。”

至于黑皮诺,被Seresin Estate的酿酒师Clive Dougall描述为,“果味浓郁,单宁并不过分强劲”,平衡,酒精度并不突出,仅为12.5%-13%。

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在黑皮诺为主的产区中奥塔哥。季初温暖,但紧接着11月的寒流来袭,山区可见降雪。“我们在户外行走时带着毛绒绒的帽子,葡萄藤在11月停止生长了。”  Prophet’s Rock的Paul Pujol这样形容 .

葡萄园接下来赶上了温暖的十二月、一月和二月。这三个月非常干燥。虽然二月的雨水带来了菌病的压力,但是雨水和滴灌都未能完全解决葡萄园干旱的问题。中奥塔哥葡萄种植者协会的发言人James Dicey这样讲。

通常采收时间为六周,今年仅用了四周。大部分酒庄在4月12日之前就完成了采收工作。4月12日骤冷降雪,霜冻的警报也拉响了。收获总量为10000公吨,比去年减产了5%。种植者表示他们对果实的成熟度,和愉悦的香气感到欣慰。

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新西兰北岛的霍克湾,在连续两年大丰收之后,又迎来一个好年份。此前担心气旋帕姆会为本区带来恶劣影响,但结果只是一个有些潮湿的周末“降雨量不足35mm,仅为之前预报的1/4.”此后一切如常。Sacred HIll 的Tony Bish评论说,“2013和2014都是特别好的年份。你不能指望每一年都达到这样的水准,但2015也并没有差很多。10分满分制我可以打到7或者8.”

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与中奥塔哥地区的紧凑的采收节奏不同,霍克湾葡萄品种繁多,经历了一个漫长干燥的秋季和收获过程。“诚实的讲最难的事情是员工管理。一波密集采收工作之后就是等待,然后是另一波,然后又是等待”。Bish说,“过程很分散,但坏天气并没有影响到晚收品种的采收工作。”

出处:www.wine-searcher.com

葡道新西兰名庄品鉴会

图文/陆江(Maxime LU)   编辑/王智慧(Serien WANG)

  2月份刚去了新西兰,我对新西兰葡萄酒多了些了解和好感。不过在北京除新西兰贸发局的新西兰葡萄酒推广活动外,很少有机会在同一场活动中试到新西兰不同名庄的酒款。

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3月底,在一大堆微信朋友圈信息里,无意中,看到4月3日下午有一场新西兰主题品酒会,是北京著名的Wine Boutique-葡道(Pudao Wines)举办的新西兰主题品酒会:8款黑皮诺为主的新西兰名庄干红和4款霞多丽干白。我比较喜欢这种品酒会,围绕主题选酒,它的酒涉及多家进口商,可以选出更好性价比产品。

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欣然报名,在这些酒庄里我去过其中的三家,Mt Difficulty、Te Mata以及Kumeu River(强大的霞多丽生产商),都是实力强劲,很有当地产区的代表性(这次走访收获不小,详见我正在陆续发出的【陆江新西兰葡萄酒之旅】系列记录)。

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当然其他同时亮相的如Felton Road,Ata Rangi,Villa Maria都是赫赫有名的新西兰顶级名庄。

相比之下入场费颇有点微不足道。。。

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除美酒外,还有第一次试到的中国金华火腿生吃版,是中欧合作的结果,总体还过得去,只是有些偏咸。

 

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下面是我(陆江)的酒评词分享:

1.Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir, Marlborough,2013新玛利庄园酒窖精选黑皮诺,马尔堡酸樱桃,一丝鲜味,中等酒体,酸度活跃。整体来说是易饮型。

2.Ata Rangi Crimson Pinot Noir, Martinborough,2012新天地酒园绯红黑皮诺,马丁堡果酱香气,酒体中等,单宁柔和,口中果味明显,也是普适大众的入门款。

3.Felton Road Pinot Noir Bannockburn, Central Otago,2013飞腾黑皮诺,中奥塔哥香料,红醋栗气息,中等偏重酒体,酸度活跃,有一定集中度,单宁比较细腻,平衡,回味中长。

4.Te Mata Eatate Wood Thorpe Gamay Noir,Hawkes Bay,2013新西兰霍克斯湾德迈木村,嘉美樱桃、草莓味道,气息芬芳,口中表现活跃,家常易饮型。

5.Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera Pinot Noir,2013马丁堡特拉黑皮诺香气打开较慢,酒体中等,玫瑰酱、矿物味道,单宁中等强度。有一定的结构感,回味中等长度。当天最佳性价。

6.Mt.Difficulty Roaring Meg Pinot Noir,Central Otago,2012狄菲特山麓萝瑞麦格黑皮诺香料,樱桃果味,酸度活跃,有一定的复杂度,柔和易饮,性价比高。顺便一说,这款酒的名字以古时名妓为名,以酒度人,醉矣。

7.Pinot Noir,Central Otago,Mount Difficulty,2012狄菲特山麓黑皮诺樱桃果味,一丝鲜味,单宁中强细腻,分布均衡,结构完整,不错的集中度,回味长。当天最喜欢的一款。

8.Mountford The Gradient Pinot Noir,2009盲富山陡峰黑皮诺皮革、咖啡豆,烘烤气味。圆润柔和,单宁细腻,中等偏强力度,很好的集中度,回味中长。桶味一直主导,用桶略多。

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最后有幸尝试了1880年份非卖纪念版波特型酒,瓶身稚拙的粉笔字体创意,来自波特木桶常用粉笔标注的习惯。

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酒评:甘草,陈皮,葡萄干,混着烟草、和烘烤过的咖啡豆味道,浓稠的蜂蜜气息。口感在醒酒一段时间之后反而更清新,好像含着一块香滑的太妃奶糖,还有焦糖味道。口中极致凝缩,有着惊喜的酸度,上佳的酸甜平衡,承载着一个世纪岁月打磨,单宁感微弱,柔滑圆润,不错的层次感,回味超长。

 

欢迎微信搜索【万欧兰葡萄酒俱乐部】或【wineclos】,关注我们公众号,我们有国际国内热点的葡萄酒资讯和专家观点,还有有趣好玩的美食美酒旅游活动。

陆江(Maxime LU)

– 国际国内葡萄酒大赛专家评委,独立酒评人,美食美酒旅游类撰稿人,万欧兰葡萄酒教育首席讲师,资深葡萄酒收藏顾问。

王智慧(Serien WANG)

– 资深葡萄酒编辑、撰稿人和专业译者,《葡萄酒在线-WINEONLINE.CN》葡萄酒专题总监,万欧兰文化葡萄酒讲师

新西兰立法支持地理标志(GI)制度,新西兰葡萄酒出口商称之为“重大突破”

编译:王智慧(Serien WANG)

新西兰经济发展部部长Steven Joyce和新西兰葡萄酒种植协会于近日携手发布消息: 新西兰政府将实施立法,建立地理标示(GI)保护新西兰国际知名的葡萄酒产区和产品。对新西兰葡萄酒出口商来说, 这实在是个喜闻乐见的好消息.

若某产品所属产地享有盛名, 它将被冠以地理标志(GI), GI 的意义在于保护特定的品牌和产区, 多见于国际知名产品,比如香槟和苏格兰威士忌。

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ConstellationBrands (全球最大葡萄酒制造商)新西兰的品牌经理,Sam Glaetzer说,“这是一个高瞻远瞩的决定,对整个新西兰的葡萄酒行业及其出口都有言之不尽的好处。如马尔堡(Marlborough)长相思,霍克湾(Hawke’s Bay)霞多丽,以及中奥塔哥(Central Otago)黑皮诺,这些备受青睐的新西兰产品,它们的唯一性理应以法律形式被保护。

地理标志(GI)的法律依据是包括贸易相关的国际知识产权协定(TRIPS),商标法,国家地理标志法,以及一般消费者保护法等在内的国际协议。

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Glaetzer表示,“新西兰葡萄酒生产商对待产品一贯严谨负责,可以信任。但到目前为止,仍然没有立法阻止流氓运营商从世界其他某个角落,随便填满一个酒瓶,就贴上马尔堡(Marlborough)的标签。地理标志(GI)能够给消费者以定心丸,保证他们喝的,确实是从世界最好产区之一出产的品质葡萄酒。这是一个伟大的举措,将持续促进和推动新西兰的国际贸易和经济增长。”

地理标志注册法案(葡萄酒与烈酒)已于2006年通过,但并未施行,现已正式提上议程,修正案将于今年晚些时候提交议会,预计2015年底通过。

原文出处:https://nz.finance.yahoo.com