Online shop showcases NZ wines in UK

Melanie Brown is keen to educate the British public on the regional differences in New Zealand wines.

New Zealand wine sales to Britain are set to get a boost from a new supplier to the lucrative export market.

Online shop The New Zealand Cellar will showcase more than 150 premium wines from 50 different wineries around New Zealand.

Founder Melanie Brown said she wanted to highlight the quality and variety of wine that New Zealand could produce, while focusing on some of the smaller or boutique wineries.

"I think the smaller producers are the people that are putting all the time, effort and energy into producing wines that are really truly amazing. These wines need to be showcased and they'e not showcased enough," Brown said.

According to the New Zealand Winegrowers Association, 47.6 million litres of wine - worth $278.45 million - were sold in Britain last year, however Brown says a large quantity of this was bulk wine from New Zealand that was then bottled and rebranded in the UK.

"Part of what I want to do is really educate the UK public about the different brands and the differences between regions in New Zealand," Brown said.

The online shop will be launched in June. Alongside this, Brown will host tastings and other events to help residents explore the New Zealand wine market.

According to Statistics New Zealand, wine exports have exceeded $1.3 billion this year. This represents a 9.2 per cent increase for the year for New Zealand's eighth-biggest goods export. Over the past 10 years, wine exports have grown by $1 billion.

Brown, who is the lead developer of Peter Gordon's wine list at The Providores and Tapa Room in London, said the wines represented a broad coverage of New Zealand, as well as several of her favourites.

"The wines I've included are a compilation of my ideal wine list from New Zealand."

The New Zealand Cellar will be launched on June 30 at New Zealand House in London with guests including international wine writers.