After a broad survey of the impact of the recent Kaikoura earthquake on the New Zealand wine industry, New Zealand Winegrowers have concluded that wine loss as a result of the quake amounts to little over 2% of Marlborough’s total production.
CEO Philip Gregan admits that this is frustrating, but claims it is not a major concern, due to 2016’s unprecedented grape yield. “
This means there is plenty of wine to continue our market growth.”
The significant impact on wineries has been to storage tanks, with around 20 percent of all containers in Marlborough impaired to some extent.
Damage assessment is still ongoing, and Gregan claims that the process of tank repair will take many months.
In response, New Zealand Winegrowers are liaising with affected wineries, engineers, manufacturers, the government, and council, to create a streamlined and efficient solution to tank repair.
Gregan also seeks to dissuade concerns as to the ability to transport wine out of the region.
“Despite the obvious damage to transport links, we are not aware of any particular issues affecting the movement of wine out of the region at the moment,” he surmised.
“We are working with various transport operators, ports, and the government to identify and address any issues should they occur.”
INDUSTRY RESPONDS TO EARTHQUAKE CONCERNS
