New Zealand wine exports slip 4.5% in February as core markets decline

Wine exports fell to $200.1 million in February 2025 despite a 2.6% rise in volume, driven by sharp retreats in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, though Canada and several Asian markets posted triple-digit gains.

February exports edge lower on weak pricing

New Zealand exported $200.1 million of wine in February 2025, down 4.5% on the same month a year earlier. Volume increased 2.6% to 30.9 million litres, pushing the average realised price down to $6.47 per litre. The value decline follows January's $154.2 million result, with February typically one of the stronger months in the export calendar.

Rolling annual performance holds steady

The 12 months to February 2025 recorded $2.06 billion in wine exports, a modest 0.6% decline compared with the previous year. The relative stability in the annual figure masks significant month-to-month variation, with February's result representing the second-highest monthly total in the past year after November 2024's $193.6 million.

Major markets diverge sharply

The three largest destinations all contracted. The United States remained the dominant market with $71.6 million in February shipments—a 35.8% share of total exports—but posted a 10.5% year-on-year decline. The United Kingdom fell 15.5% to $40.3 million, while Australia dropped 24.7% to $23.4 million.

Canada provided a striking counterpoint, surging 59.9% to $20.7 million and cementing its position as the fourth-largest market with a 10.3% share. Asian markets delivered exceptional growth: Hong Kong soared 561.7% to $6.7 million, South Korea rose 74.6% to $5.6 million, and China increased 64.4% to $5.1 million. Germany advanced 44.4% to $7.4 million, and France gained 61.6% to $3.9 million.

Not all smaller markets followed the upward trajectory. Singapore plunged 70.4% to $1.3 million, Ireland dropped 45.6% to $2.6 million, and the Netherlands declined 40.3% to $1.9 million. New Zealand shipped to 53 destination markets during the month.

Among markets exceeding $0.5 million in value, Poland surged 476.6% to $0.7 million, Norway climbed 147.1% to $0.9 million, Taiwan rose 96.4% to $0.5 million, and Bulgaria increased 95.8% to $0.7 million.

Bulk wine drives overall value decline

Bottled wine in containers of two litres or less—including sparkling—accounted for $135.8 million of February exports, down a modest 0.4% year-on-year. Bulk wine shipped in containers exceeding 10 litres totalled $64.2 million, representing 32.1% of total export value but falling 10.6% compared with February 2024.

The pricing divergence between formats remains stark. Bottled wine averaged $10.18 per litre, nearly three times the $3.65 per litre achieved for bulk shipments. The weaker performance of bulk exports—which command significantly lower per-unit returns—was the primary driver of February's overall value decline despite growth in total volume.

Provisional data

These figures are drawn from Statistics NZ overseas trade data for February 2025 (HS 2204). Monthly export statistics are provisional upon initial release and subject to revision in subsequent reporting periods.