At first glance, the history of wine in New Zealand looks short – very short. Wines made from classic European grape varieties have only been widely available since the 1980s and only since the 1990s have the country’s sauvignon blancs and – later – pinot noirs carved out a significant presence in international markets.

New Zealand wines are continuing to find new markets and flourish as a quality producer on the world wine stage. New Zealand wines internationally are a success story and are already a $1.72 billion export earner for New Zealand.