New Zealand wine exports jump 18% in April on surging bulk shipments and UK demand

Wine exports reached $149.5 million in April 2023, propelled by a 371% surge in bulk wine shipments and robust growth across European markets, though Canada's steep decline and Australia's continued weakness tempered the headline gains.

Headline figures

New Zealand exported $149.5 million of wine in April 2023, an increase of 18.0% on the same month last year. Volume shipments rose even faster, climbing 28.6% to 17.3 million litres. The average unit price stood at $8.63 per litre, reflecting a shift in the export mix. The rolling 12-month total to April reached $2.41 billion, up 24.8% year-on-year.

Bulk shipments drive volume growth

April's growth was heavily influenced by packaging mix. Bulk wine exports—shipped in containers larger than 10 litres—surged 371.4% in value to $20.8 million, accounting for 13.9% of total export value. By contrast, bottled wine exports (including sparkling, in containers of two litres or less) rose a more modest 4.8% to $128.0 million.

The price differential between formats remained stark: bottled wine averaged $9.81 per litre whilst bulk wine fetched just $5.02 per litre. This near-doubling of the bulk wine component depressed the overall average price and suggests increased demand for New Zealand wine destined for bottling or blending in offshore markets.

United States and United Kingdom lead gains

The United States remained New Zealand's largest export destination, absorbing $59.9 million worth of wine—a 40.1% share of total exports—and posting 24.5% year-on-year growth. The United Kingdom recorded even stronger momentum, with exports jumping 50.0% to $37.0 million and capturing a 24.8% market share.

Australia, the third-largest market, continued its decline with shipments falling 13.0% to $15.5 million. More dramatic was the 41.9% drop in exports to Canada, which fell to $8.3 million and saw its share slip to 5.6%.

European and Asian markets show strength

Several smaller markets recorded exceptional growth rates. France led percentage gains among significant destinations, with exports soaring 287.1% to $2.8 million. Germany more than doubled, rising 110.6% to $1.9 million. Among markets exceeding $500,000 in value, Thailand posted the steepest climb at 436.1% to $800,000, whilst Belgium rose 191.4% to $700,000 and Malaysia increased 147.0% to $500,000.

China delivered strong growth of 61.4%, reaching $4.5 million, whilst Singapore climbed 65.3% to $1.7 million. Japan and Ireland recorded modest declines of 3.6% and 5.2% respectively. New Zealand wine reached 55 destination markets during the month.

Provisional data

These figures are drawn from Statistics New Zealand customs data for April 2023. Figures for the most recent month are initially provisional and subject to revision as late declarations are processed and classifications finalised.