New Zealand wine exports slide 17% in January as bulk shipments collapse

Wine exports fell to $114.8 million in January 2022, dragged down by a 55% drop in bulk wine shipments and sharp declines to Australia and Germany, though bottled wine posted modest growth and Japan surged.

Headline figures

New Zealand exported $114.8 million of wine in January 2022, down 17.2% on the same month a year earlier. Export volumes fell more sharply, dropping 34.9% to 15.5 million litres. The average price across all formats was $7.41 per litre. The result marks the lowest monthly value since April 2021, when exports totalled $114.2 million.

Despite the January decline, the rolling 12-month total to January 2022 reached $1.94 billion, up 1,297.0% year-over-year—though this exceptional figure reflects statistical base effects rather than underlying growth trends.

Year-over-year context

January's 17.2% value decline came despite January 2021 being a relatively modest comparison point at $138.7 million. The volume contraction of nearly 35% significantly outpaced the value drop, indicating a shift towards higher-value product mix even as overall shipments weakened. Wine was shipped to 48 destination markets during the month.

Destination market performance

The United States remained the dominant market, accounting for $46.9 million or 40.9% of total exports, though values declined 11.4% year-over-year. The United Kingdom strengthened its position as the second-largest market with $25.1 million in shipments, up 21.6% and representing 21.9% of total exports.

Australia experienced the sharpest decline among major markets, plunging 51.7% to $14.5 million and capturing 12.7% of exports. Canada held fourth position at $8.6 million, down 6.4%.

Japan emerged as the standout performer, surging 184.6% to $2.4 million and claiming 2.1% market share. Ireland and the Netherlands both rose 37.5%, reaching $2.2 million and $1.9 million respectively. South Korea added 30.9% to reach $1.5 million.

Significant declines beyond Australia included Germany, which collapsed 82.7% to $1.3 million, Singapore down 48.2% to $0.9 million, and France falling 40.4% to $2.2 million.

Packaging divide widens

The packaging breakdown reveals a stark divergence: bottled wine (in containers of two litres or less, including sparkling) generated $91.1 million, up 7.1% year-over-year, whilst bulk wine (shipped in containers exceeding 10 litres) crashed 54.7% to $23.6 million.

Bulk wine accounted for 20.6% of total export value in January. The pricing gap between formats remained substantial: bottled wine averaged $9.58 per litre compared with just $3.95 per litre for bulk shipments—a ratio of 2.4:1 that underscores the premium positioning of finished product versus commodity wine for offshore bottling.

The collapse in bulk shipments, particularly when coupled with the steep Australian market decline, suggests a significant contraction in lower-value wine flows across the Tasman.

Data notes

Figures cited are sourced from Statistics New Zealand's overseas merchandise trade data for HS classification 2204 (wine of fresh grapes). Monthly export statistics are initially provisional and subject to revision in subsequent releases as additional trade documentation is processed and verified.