Lower harvest ‘could affect UK sales’

Quality, not quantity, might be the byword for wine producers and exporters this season. Chris Stroud, of New Zealand Wine Growers, said the 2015 vintage was expected to be down about 25 per cent on 2014, a record year, but there was little cause for concern. Wine Growers chief executive Philip Gregan said, in March, that the warm, dry summer of 2015 was perfect for ripening grapes, and the prospects were for a high quality vintage. Although the the 2015 vintage would be significantly smaller than last year, sales in the year ahead will be supported by stocks from 2014.