New Zealand wine exports could face a major blow after newly elected US president Donald Trump upended the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that would otherwise see the removal of tariff on Kiwi wines into the US market. The 12-nation trade pact was designed to enhance economic ties among the participating countries by scrapping tariffs on most goods. It was expected to give a further boost to New Zealand’s wine exports to the US, its biggest wine destination.

After three years the annual Bridge Pa Wine Festival has enjoyed continuous success; becoming a much-loved event on the Hawke’s Bay calendar since it started in 2015. Saturday’s festival, which involved eight wineries in the Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District, went off without a hitch despite poor weather forecasts. Bridge Pa Triangle Wine District Association spokesman Paul Ham said the crowd numbers reached more than 1800 and included festival-goers from Palmerston North, Wellington and even Auckland.

Owning a registered trade mark conveys many benefits for any business – the exclusive right to use a brand, legal protection against imitation, and an intangible asset for licencing or sale among others. However, a recent announcement by the Australian government will confer a new benefit on holders of one class of Australian trade marks – an exclusive tax rebate. The Wine Equalisation Tax rebate is a measure enforced by the Australian Government to support local wine makers in regional Australia. A tax of 29% is imposed on wholesale wine sales in Australia, but up until now, all ‘producers’ of wine have been eligible for a rebate.

Australian wine export value grew by 7 per cent to $2.22 billion in 2016 and average value grew by 6 per cent to $2.96 per litre free-on-board (FOB), the highest average value since 2009, according to the Wine Australia Export Report December 2016 released today. This value growth was driven by bottled exports, particularly those at higher price points. Bottled exports grew by 10 per cent to $1.8 billion. The average value of bottled exports hit a calendar year record, up by 5 per cent to $5.48 per litre FOB.

For over 3 years, we have worked closely with the Burgundy School of Business both as a company – hiring interns to work with the EWBC, and as a research engine – helping us conduct field studies on various subjects. This year, Aymeric Dehont conducted a host of research for us, which eventually inspired him to create a paper on the fragile relationship between wine and social media. We appreciate Aymeric’s hard work putting together his thoughts and trust you will share your feedback with him. Keep in mind this is from a very European perspective.

New Zealand is under the spotlight as a world-class wine producer over the next two weeks.
An influx of international media and wine trade are arriving to attend a series of events that will showcase the country’s diverse regions and wine styles. New Zealand Winegrowers are hosting over 90 international wine experts from around 20 countries at several events across the country including the Aromatics Symposium in Nelson, Pinot Noir NZ 2017 in Wellington, and Classic Reds in Hawke’s Bay.

It’s something of an irony that youthful ideas and energy built the modern wine industry, but now young people find it hard to get a look in. Those days of hell-for-leather growth driven by youthful adventurers have been replaced by a surfeit of corporate blandness. Smaller wineries are being swallowed by big players, resulting in fewer jobs. The high prices of vineyard land makes it harder for those without fat bank accounts to do their own thing. And yet some are finding a way. They operate in the shadows of the labels created by the preceding generation, doing it tough but at the same time doing very good, exciting things.

The technology to help the wine and grape community get through the 2017 vintage fits into a pocket. This week has delivered the latest news on two phone apps, one for grapegrowers and one for winemakers. One will help winemakers manage ferments in vintage 2017, the other has been designed to help grapegrowers monitor water stress in their vineyards. The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) has launched an online version of a Ferment Simulator –allowing winemakers to track ferments online and identify problem ferments earlier.

Treasury Wine Estates is Australia’s listed wine giant with brands such as Penfolds and Yellowglen, it has a market capitalisation of $8.2 billion. The Australia & New Zealand region is the third highest earning region for Treasury Wine Estates, with the Americas and Asia earning more. Thanks to its purchase of Diageo Wine, it managed to more than double its net profit after tax and earnings per share with the dividend increasing by 43% last year. Treasury Wine is trading at 29.6x FY17’s estimated earnings with a dividend yield of 1.81%.

While the recent high temperatures may have taken a toll on residents, Granite Belt wineries have thrived under the conditions. Symphony Hill winemaker Mike Hayes said the higher than average temperatures haven’t had a great affect on Granite Belt grapes, unlike other wineries around the country. “It hasn’t really affected the grapes to a degree,” Mr Hayes said. “The heat hasn’t been as bad as in other parts of Australia. “South Australia is experiencing 43 and 44 (degrees), they’re having some issues down there because the vines are racing through in maturity and what can happen is all varieties can come in at once.”