New Zealand’s winemakers grew their export volumes by 6% in the year to the end of June, although value sales remained flat.
Data from New Zealand Winegrowers showed the country shipped 306.2 million litres of wine in the 12 months to 30 June.
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Those shipments translated into value sales of NZ$2.1bn (US$1.19bn), matching the level seen a year earlier.
The figures showed New Zealand sent 7% less wine in volume terms to the US during the 12-month period. Export volumes to the US – the largest market for New Zealand’s wine – stood at just under 92 million litres.
The tariffs the US has placed on imports into the country was a central factor. New Zealand’s winemakers face a 12.5% tariff on their exports to the US.
Volumes to each of the country’s other top five export markets – the UK, Australia, Canada and Germany – all rose year-on-year.
The value of exports to the US dropped 5% to NZ$720.6m. Sales to Australia also declined but increased in the UK, Canada and Germany.
“With exports accounting for around 90% of New Zealand wine sales, our sector remains closely linked to international market conditions. These factors, combined with an imbalance between supply and demand, have contributed to higher inventory levels, reduced demand for grapes in vintage 2026 and pricing pressure across parts of the industry,” New Zealand Winegrowers chair Fabian Yukich said.
“Vintage 2026 had a lower production of 440,000 tonnes of grapes harvested this year, down 15% on the 2025 vintage and helping to ease supply pressures. However, the process of rebalancing will take time and will depend on export performance, consumer demand and the extent of supply adjustments undertaken by the industry.”
In July, figures published in Australia showed the country’s wine export volumes had dropped to their lowest level in 22 years.
Data from Wine Australia, the sector’s statutory body, show export volumes fell 6% to 598 million litres in the year to June.
That marked the first time since 2004 that annual export volumes have slipped below 600 million litres, Wine Australia said.
The organisation said the result points to worsening trading conditions across several of the country’s biggest export destinations, against a backdrop of falling global wine intake that is now at its lowest level since 1961.
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