Gisborne to host NZ Chardonnay and sparkling symposium

North Island New Zealand producer Gisborne Wine will play host to 80 of the world’s top wine writers and influencers at the first Chardonnay and sparkling wine symposium this February.

Chardonnay specialist Gisborne will host the first New Zealand Chardonnay and sparkling symposium in February (Photo: Gisborne)

The event, titled ‘Past, Present and Beyond… the Tale of New Zealand Chardonnay and Sparkling’ will run from 4-5 February and follows Marlborough’s inaugural International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration, which runs from 1-3 February.

The symposium aims to showcase the quality and diversity of New Zealand Chardonnay and sparkling wines as well as focusing on developments in its production.

Masters of Wine Jane Skilton MW and Michael Brajkovich MW (Kumeu River Wines) will lead panels of industry experts, discussing the unique attributes of New Zealand sparkling and Chardonnay and explaining the wines’ different regional and winemaking styles.

“In New Zealand we produce world-class Chardonnay and sparkling wines,” said Chris Yorke, New Zealand Winegrowers’ global marketing director.

“Our Chardonnay strongly reflects New Zealand’s unique terroir and the huge diversity within its regions, while our sparkling has gained worldwide acclaim for its complexity and elegance.

“Gisborne is the perfect venue for the symposium with its great reputation for Kiwi hospitality, rich culture, and of course, its world-class Chardonnay.”

The Gisborne event follows New Zealand Winegrowers’ successful 35th annual UK trade tasting in London, which this year attracted around 500 visitors, with more than 90 New Zealand producers presenting more than 500 wines.

The trade tasting featured two masterclasses – one on Sauvignon Blanc and the other on trophy-winning wines – as well as self-pour tables featuring oaked Sauvignon Blanc and award-winning Pinot Noirs.

The 35th annual New Zealand UK Trade Tasting attracted more than 500 trade members to the Royal Horticultural Halls (Photo: NZ WInegrowers)

“The London tasting is the biggest showcase of New Zealand wine outside of New Zealand, so it is an ideal opportunity to showcase the wide range of varieties and the diversity that New Zealand wine offers,” said Chris Stroud, New Zealand Winegrowers’ marketing manager for Europe.

“We are delighted with the response from the trade to our tasting. It was great to see such a cross-section of the UK Industry attending the event as well as visitors from Europe, and the feedback we have had has been superb.

“The masterclasses were over subscribed and the self-pour discovery tables are always a popular feature.”

Stroud said the keynote of this years UK trade tasting was the diversity of New Zealand’s wine offering.

“We’re just trying to show the diversity,” he said. “New Zealand Sauvignon is world-renowned and we are the market leader in the UK [but] this is what else we can do with the variety and on top of that this is what we can do with other varieties in New Zealand.”

New Zealand wine is in a strong market position at the moment, with the country outperforming the competition in the ‘premium’ price points in the UK wine market.

The country is performing as the front runner in the £7.01-£8.00 segment in particular, enjoying a 22% share of volume and growth of 23%, according to the latest data from Nielsen.

For all price points above £7.01, New Zealand sits behind only France in terms of volume and value of sales.

New Zealand’s average price per bottle also remains the highest of the countries at £7.37, according to Nielsen data – well above the UK market average of £5.46.

While the UK market has experienced an overall drop of 2% over the past year, New Zealand wine has seen a 10% increase in both volume and value.