New Zealand wine exports rise 2.8% in February as bulk gains offset bottled decline

Wine shipments reached $205.6 million in February 2026, driven by surging bulk exports and strong growth in the United States, Australia and China, while the United Kingdom market contracted sharply.

February shipments edge higher

New Zealand exported $205.6 million of wine in February 2026, up 2.8 per cent on the same month last year. Volume rose 2.7 per cent to 31.8 million litres, while the average price across all formats edged up to $6.47 per litre. The month's result represented a substantial rebound from January's $123.1 million, reflecting typical seasonal variation in shipping patterns.

The rolling 12-month total to February stood at $2,142.8 million, up 4.0 per cent year-over-year, indicating sustained momentum in export performance despite mixed signals across individual markets.

Diverging fortunes across key destinations

The United States consolidated its position as New Zealand's dominant wine market, accounting for 37.7 per cent of February exports with shipments of $77.6 million, up 8.3 per cent year-over-year. Australia delivered even stronger growth, surging 22.1 per cent to $28.6 million and claiming a 13.9 per cent market share.

The United Kingdom, by contrast, registered the sharpest decline among major markets, falling 25.4 per cent to $30.1 million. The result reduced Britain's share to 14.6 per cent, narrowing the gap with Australia. Canada also retreated, down 8.4 per cent to $18.9 million.

China proved a bright spot among Asian markets, jumping 65.5 per cent to $8.4 million, while South Korea declined 20.3 per cent to $4.5 million.

Smaller markets show exceptional growth

Several mid-sized and emerging markets recorded triple-digit gains. Ireland doubled its intake, rising 100.9 per cent to $5.3 million. Singapore surged 227.5 per cent to $4.4 million, while Denmark climbed 114.6 per cent to $1.8 million.

Among smaller markets with shipments exceeding $0.5 million, Spain led all gainers with a 365.5 per cent increase to $1.1 million, followed by Belgium at 266.6 per cent growth to $1.0 million and Malaysia up 136.0 per cent to $0.5 million.

Hong Kong suffered the steepest contraction, plunging 87.7 per cent to just $0.8 million.

New Zealand wine reached 61 destination markets during the month.

Bulk exports drive growth as bottled sales slip

The February result masks a significant divergence in packaging formats. Bulk wine exports—shipped in containers larger than 10 litres—rose 9.3 per cent year-over-year to $70.2 million, representing 34.1 per cent of total export value. Bottled wine, by contrast, slipped 0.3 per cent to $135.4 million.

The average price gap between formats remained stark: bottled wine averaged $10.61 per litre compared with $3.69 per litre for bulk. This $6.92 differential underscores the continued role of bulk shipments—typically destined for bottling offshore—as a volume strategy, while bottled exports command premium pricing that underpins New Zealand's quality positioning.

The shift towards bulk in February's growth mix reflects ongoing commercial dynamics as exporters balance margin against market access.

Provisional data

These figures are drawn from Statistics New Zealand's overseas merchandise trade data. As with all initial monthly trade statistics, February's numbers are provisional and subject to revision as late declarations are processed and classification adjustments are made.