www.foodtechnology.co.nz 53 The 2017 Vintage Survey shows the harvest totalled 396,000 tonnes, down 9% on last year, says Philip Gregan, chief executive of New Zealand Winegrowers. “Given strong demand in overseas markets, wineries had been looking forward to a larger harvest this year. With the smaller vintage however, export volume growth is likely to be more muted in the year ahead.” Gregan says the smaller vintage was due to weather conditions. “Generally summer weather was very positive but there were some challenges as the season progressed.” In terms of vintage quality Gregan says wineries were confident the vintage would deliver the fruit flavours that New Zealand wine is renowned for. “Reports from across the wine regions indicate that generally wineries are positive about the vintage quality. However, as always the ultimate test will be how the market reacts to the wines when they are released. At this stage we are confident the 2017 vintage wines will add to New Zealand’s reputation as a premium producer of cool climate wines.” New Zealand wine is exported to more than 90 countries and wine exports are currently valued at $1.65 billion per annum. Wine is New Zealand’s 5th biggest export good. GRAPE HARVEST SMALL The 2017 grape harvest has come in smaller than expected, according to New Zealand Winegrowers. the number of trucks on the road.” Wine bottler WineWorks’ business innovation manager Jason Gluer says as a QuayConnect foundation customer, he feels the award is a well-deserved accolade for a logistics system that is making a radical reduction to the wine transport sector’s carbon emission levels. “Port Nelson’s service allows us to handle an increased volume for our wine customers within the same physical footprint, while reducing the number of vehicles coming into the facility. It is a win-win all round.” Another QuayConnect foundation customer is O-I NZ, with logistics manager Julie Turnbull saying her company prioritises sustainable business practices in everything it does. “As makers of glass, the world’s most natural and sustainable packaging, O-I NZ has incorporated sustainability into our business practices for more than a century,” she says. “We are thrilled to have played a part in the development of the Green Ribbon Award-winning freight and logistics service QuayConnect, which will have ongoing environmental benefits for the transport sector.”
FT-Jul17-eMag-1
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