Story: Viticulture

Area planted in wine grapes, 1987 and 2007

During the 1970s and 1980s grape production shifted away from the Auckland–Waikato region, to the east coasts of the North and South islands. Existing vineyards expanded, and new ones were developed on the Gisborne plains and the flat land between Napier and the Heretaunga plains in Hawke’s Bay. Large-scale planting on the Wairau plains in Marlborough began in 1979.

The trend for grape growing to move south and east continued into the 2000s. In 2007 Marlborough contained most of the country’s vineyards. Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne were still important centres of production, and Canterbury and Central Otago had become significant grape-growing regions.

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Source: David Jackson and Danny Schuster, The production of grapes and wine in cool climates. Wellington: Butterworths Horticultural Books, 1987, p. 41; New Zealand Winegrowers statistical annual 2007, p. 3

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How to cite this page:

Maggy Wassilieff, 'Viticulture - Cultivation requirements', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/18310/area-planted-in-wine-grapes-1987-and-2007 (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 24 Nov 2008