New Zealand wine exports rise 7.9% in June as UK demand surges nearly 50%

Wine shipments reached $165.7 million in June 2026, driven by a 49.9% surge in UK sales and strong growth in China, though the shift towards bottled exports masked a sharp decline in bulk wine.

Headline figures

New Zealand exported $165.7 million worth of wine in June 2026, up 7.9% on the same month a year earlier. Volume rose more sharply, climbing 16.5% to 22.9 million litres, which pulled the average unit price down to $7.24 per litre. The country shipped wine to 59 destination markets during the month.

Over the 12 months to June 2026, total wine exports reached $2.11 billion, a modest 0.6% increase on the previous rolling year.

Market dynamics

The United States remained New Zealand's largest wine customer, accounting for $50.6 million—30.5% of June's exports—and posting a solid 15.5% gain year-on-year. But the standout performer was the United Kingdom, where sales jumped 49.9% to $42.0 million, claiming a 25.4% share of total exports.

China demonstrated explosive growth, with shipments surging 91.8% to $8.9 million (5.4% share), whilst Ireland rose 43.6% to $5.9 million and the Netherlands climbed 65.8% to $2.9 million.

Weakness in key Asian markets

Not all major destinations followed the upward trend. Australia, the third-largest market, fell 13.1% to $20.6 million, and Canada dropped 21.4% to $16.1 million. South Korea saw a sharp 39% decline to $3.7 million, whilst Japan slipped 24.3% to $1.3 million and Singapore fell 20.0% to $1.9 million.

Germany recorded one of June's steepest falls, down 60.8% to $1.8 million. France and Sweden also saw significant contractions, dropping 58.5% to $1.0 million and 57.3% to $0.5 million respectively.

Bottled wine drives growth

The packaging mix revealed a decisive shift in June's export composition. Bottled wine (in containers of two litres or less, including sparkling) generated $136.3 million, up 12.9% year-on-year, at an average price of $10.33 per litre.

Bulk exports in containers exceeding 10 litres, by contrast, fell 10.6% to $29.4 million, representing 17.8% of total value. The average bulk price of $3.04 per litre—less than a third of the bottled rate—underscores the premium New Zealand commands for finished, branded product over commodity wine sold for bottling overseas. The divergence suggests exporters continued to pivot towards higher-value packaged formats despite softer bulk demand.

Monthly context

June's result of $165.7 million was virtually unchanged from May's $165.1 million, and sat well below the peaks recorded in August 2025 ($215.9 million) and October 2025 ($217.7 million). The figure nonetheless represented an improvement on the low point of January 2026 ($123.1 million), maintaining the sector's modest upward trajectory through the second quarter of the calendar year.

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*Stats NZ figures for the most recent month are initially provisional and subject to revision as late declarations are processed.*