Vintage 2021: Marlborough down 21 per cent, smallest harvest in six years

Saturday, 12 June 2021

Marlborough harvested 269,521 tonnes of grapes in 2021 vs 343,036 tonnes last year.

Marlborough’s wine vintage is down 21 per cent on last year's crop, and is the smallest harvest since 2015.

Early frosts and cool weather during flowering season were factors in the drop which will leave some wineries struggling to meet demand. New Zealand Winegrowers figures released on Friday showed 269,521 tonnes of grapes were harvested in Marlborough this year.

Across New Zealand there were 370,000 tonnes of grapes harvested during the 2021 vintage, down 19 per cent on last year’s crop.

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Grape yields in Marlborough have taken a hit from poor flowering due to early frosts and cool weather.

Regions throughout the middle of the country, including Wairarapa, Marlborough, Nelson, and North Canterbury, were affected the most, down over 20 per cent on 2020.

However, there was some variability across different parts of the country, with Central Otago the one region to increase its crop, up 21 per cent on last year’s harvest.

New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said wineries would struggle to meet demand.

“While the quality is exceptional, the overall smaller harvest means many of our wineries will face tough decisions over who they can supply in their key markets,” said Gregan.

There is going to be some supply and demand tension because of this, with the shortfall in the crop equivalent to roughly seven million nine litre cases of New Zealand wine,” said Gregan.

Smaller volumes create supply and demand tension for exports.

Big wineries like Pernod Ricard said its New Zealand wine brands Brancott Estate and Stoneleigh would be unable to meet global Marlborough sauvignon blanc supply this year after one of the smallest New Zealand harvests in ten years.

Small Marlborough companies like the family-owned Marisco Vineyards said they were forced to turn down new customers and prioritise its long-time customer base.

The whole industry has also been facing increased production costs, and ongoing labour shortages due to border closures.

Wineries have to deal with lower volumes of grapes harvested, higher costs but also an “unprecedented demand” from export markets.

Gregan said New Zealand hit a record-breaking $2 billion in wine exports at the end of last year.

“Ongoing strong export performance reflects the appreciation that the world has for New Zealand wine, and reinforces the industry’s reputation for distinct, premium, and sustainable wines.

“It is encouraging to see that during these uncertain times, consumers continue to choose a premium product they know that they can trust.

“Wines from vintage 2021 promise to be something special, but in some instances, the question may just be whether there is enough to go around,” Gregan said.

New Zealand exports wines to more than 100 countries, with the largest markets in Britain, United States and Australia.