New Zealand wine exports surge 14% in November, powered by North American and Asian demand

Wine shipments reached $193.6 million in November, the strongest month since December 2023, as rebounding demand from the United States, Canada and Asian markets offset a sharp decline in Australian sales.

Strong month reverses recent trends

New Zealand exported $193.6 million of wine in November 2024, up 13.7% on the same month last year. Export volumes rose 8.1% to 24.9 million litres, with the average price climbing to $7.79 per litre. The result marks the highest monthly value since December 2023's $220.8 million and represents a notable acceleration after several months of more subdued performance.

Despite the positive November figures, the rolling 12-month total to November stood at $2.04 billion, down 4.9% year-on-year, reflecting continued headwinds over the broader period.

United States leads growth among major markets

The United States remained New Zealand's largest market by a considerable margin, accounting for $78.6 million or 40.6% of November exports. The market grew 20.1% year-on-year, consolidating its dominant position. The United Kingdom, the second-largest destination, recorded $33.7 million in shipments (17.4% share), up 16.4%.

Australia, traditionally a key market, fell 18.4% to $30.3 million, though it retained third position with a 15.7% share. Canada posted exceptional growth of 58.3% to reach $16.5 million, securing an 8.5% market share.

Asian and emerging markets deliver explosive gains

Asian markets drove some of November's most dramatic growth rates. China surged 250.4% to $7.1 million, while South Korea jumped 348.9% to $4.0 million. Japan increased 200.5% to $2.1 million, signalling renewed appetite across the region.

Among smaller markets, Bulgaria recorded exceptional growth of 606.8% to reach $0.8 million, while Sweden rose 122.0% to $1.0 million and Ireland grew 64.6% to $2.9 million.

Germany stood out as the month's largest decliner among significant markets, falling 69.3% to $2.2 million. New Zealand shipped wine to 54 destination markets during November.

Bottled wine outpaces bulk in value growth

Bottled wine in containers of two litres or less, including sparkling, accounted for $139.5 million of November exports. Bulk shipments in containers exceeding 10 litres totalled $54.0 million, representing 27.9% of total export value.

Bottled wine value grew 18.6% year-on-year, outperforming bulk's 9.1% increase. The pricing differential remained substantial: bottled wine averaged $11.74 per litre compared with $4.17 per litre for bulk, a gap of $7.57 that underscores the continued premium positioning of packaged New Zealand wine in international markets.

Provisional data

These figures are drawn from Statistics New Zealand's official overseas merchandise trade data for November 2024. Monthly trade statistics are initially provisional and subject to revision as late declarations are processed and classifications are refined.