A weaker grape price, capped yields and higher operating costs have squeezed grower profitability, and concerns are mounting for further pressure next season
In Marlborough, which produced 81.5 per cent of the national harvest this season, most of it sauvignon blanc, an estimated 15-20 per cent of the tonnage was unharvested. Photo: Getty Images
Grape growers produced a bumper crop this season, but an unprecedented amount of fruit never made it to a winery, and was left to wither on the vine or rot on the ground as winemakers grappled with oversupply after declining global demand.
Ideal growing conditions bolstered the 2025 harvest to 519,000 tonnes, the second largest on record (the largest harvest, 532,000 tonnes, was in 2022).
But an extra 75,000 to 100,000 tonnes of fruit have remained unharvested this season after wineries capped grape volumes, according to Mike Insley, a 30-year industry veteran based in the country’s biggest wine region, Marlborough.
“I can’t remember a year like it for unharvested fruit,” said Insley, a viticulture consultant at Grape Sense who was chief operating officer at Yealands Wine Group and national viticulture manager at Pernod Ricard NZ.
“Companies picked what they were required to pick, and left the rest behind.”
The bumper vintage comes as domestic storage is close to capacity after falling global demand, the Ministry for Primary Industries noted in its latest Situation and Outlook report in June.
Wineries’ inventories of sauvignon blanc, the country’s flagship wine, were at 10-year highs before this year’s harvest, the ministry noted in December.
In Marlborough, which produced 81.5 percent of the national harvest this season, most of it sauvignon blanc, Insley estimates 15-20 percent of the tonnage was unharvested.
The 2025 New Zealand wine harvest has been widely welcomed following 2024’s reduced yields. Across the regions, winemakers reported not only a normalisation of volumes but also excellent fruit quality – notable in a country where diverse geography often leads to variability.
A warm, dry spring set the season up well, though a cooler, wetter December and January period tested nerves before settling into a classic Indian summer. While perhaps not as straightforward as the outstanding 2024 vintage, 2025 looks set to produce wines of finesse and charm across the regions and varieties, with the first releases just months away.
Auckland
Michael Brajkovich MW of Kumeu River expressed relief at a ‘normal’ sized vintage after two seasons down by 35-40%. Auckland experienced the driest summer since 1958, with consistent warmth but no heat spikes.
‘The fruit ripened evenly and with gradual aroma and flavour development,’ Brajkovich said. Chardonnay was once again the star, arriving early and in pristine condition.
Gisborne
Described as a ‘magnificent vintage’ by Kirsten Searle of Matawhero, 2025 brought full physiological ripeness and a return to normal yields after two lighter years. Chardonnay excelled, providing excellent fruit for both table wines and sparkling bases.
Searle also highlighted the Gewürztraminer from Matawhero’s Riverpoint vineyard as particularly impressive – a fitting celebration for the winery’s 50th anniversary.
Hawke’s Bay
There is genuine excitement in Hawke’s Bay, with some suggesting that 2025 may rival the renowned 2013 vintage. Ben Tombs noted Craggy Range’s earliest-ever harvest, with Chardonnay off the Gimblett Gravels picked on 8 February.
Whites show ‘electric flavour profiles with moderate alcohol’ while Syrah, despite late-summer humidity challenges, enjoyed extended hang time without excessive sugar accumulation, promising finely structured, vibrant reds.
Wairarapa
After four small vintages, Martinborough celebrated a strong yield. A relatively calm spring and lighter winds led to strong shoot growth and abundant flowering. Intensive canopy management paid off with Pinot Noir showing a savoury, charming profile.
Tombs commented on lower acidity and softer tannins compared to the more firmly structured recent vintages at Craggy Range’s Te Muna vineyard.
Nelson
Todd Stevens of Neudorf reflected positively on the vintage: ‘It’s still early but the whites appear beautifully balanced, while the Pinots show poise and should present very well.’ Initial signs point to good consistency across this smaller but significant region.
Marlborough
Murray Cook of Dog Point summed up 2025 as ‘a season of patience’. ‘With generous yields, the fruit took some time to ripen fully. Thankfully, we were blessed with classic dry and warm conditions which kept fruit quality high over what was our longest harvest period (46 days) in 24 years,’ he added.
However, with global inventories still high amid flat consumption and geopolitical uncertainties, many producers opted to leave fruit on the vines. The upside: only the best fruit was picked and consumers can look forward to excellent quality from this key region.
North Canterbury
A rollercoaster year, with Greystone’s Dom Maxwell describing it as one that ‘challenged us, then offered a lot, then challenged us again, and finally delivered in the end’.
Pure fruit flavours and clean fermentations made it a worthwhile ride. ‘We’re excited about the quality we have in the winery,’ Maxwell added.
Central Otago / Waitaki
Valli’s Jen Parr described an unusually compressed harvest of around half the usual span. Despite spring frosts affecting yields, she was thrilled with the ‘tremendous concentration’ and ‘crazy colour’, particularly in Gibbston and Bendigo.
Small berries and clean fruit were common themes with Parr commenting that wines possess richness and an appealing ‘joyful’ quality that should drink well young but also reward a few years in bottle.
The Waitaki Valley – often marginal – had one of its best vintages in recent years, for both ripeness and volume.
