by Bob Campbell
The value of New Zealand s wine sales to the US has grown dramatically in the past decade and is expected to exceed sales to the UK by the end of next year, according to
Chris Yorke, global marketing director for NZ Winegrowers. Britain has been New Zealand s largest wine market since serious exporting began 25 years ago , says Yorke, but buoyant sales and a significantly higher return per litre from the US will soon make it our most valuable export market. Strategically that s quite a big shift. A higher return combined with sales growth will see more resources devoted to developing the US market particularly when it becomes number one. The UK continues to lead in volume although that gap is likely to narrow as US sales track upwards at a faster rate.
