Top-notch Kiwi wines sink the Aussies

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New Zealand is the second most popular country of origin for premium wine sold in the UK, according to latest figures.

New Zealand Winegrowers' global marketing director Chris Yorke said 18 per cent of all wines sold for above £7 in the UK now came from New Zealand, according to the latest Nielsen data.

The country had now overtaken Australia in premium wine sales and was seconded only to France, he said.

"New Zealand is now selling almost one in every 5 bottles in the UK above £7 market. This is outstanding; especially considering New Zealand only produces less than one per cent of the world's wine.

"It shows that consumers know they are getting excellent quality with a New Zealand wine and it is worth spending that little bit extra."

The figures also showed the average price paid for a New Zealand bottle of wine had increased from £6.79 to £7.34 - an 8.1 per cent increase.

New Zealand Savignon Blanc remained the perennial favourite for UK drinkers, followed by Pinot Noir, Mr Yorke said.

"The next two would be Chardonnay and full-bodied reds. What you're seeing is really a lift across all those varieties."

The majority of both Savignon Blanc and Pinot Noir sold in the UK was from the Marlborough wine growing region, he said, although Central Otago, Wairarapa, Waipara and Nelson wines were also popular.

"People get to know New Zealand through Savignon and then they get to know Marlborough and then they try Pinot - that's actually [from] five different regions - and then they try Chardonnay, they're actually discovering a lot more about the country."

The average price for New Zealand wine was significantly higher than all other wines in the UK and its popularity showed it was seen as being consistently of a high quality, Mr Yorke said.

"I think customers trust that they'll get a good wine if they see a New Zealand wine."
New Zealand's annual wine exports reached a record high earlier this year and now stood at $1.33 billion - up 10 per cent for the year ended June 2014.

Wine is the country's 7th biggest goods export, having increased by $1b in the last 10 years.