Editorial: Celebrating champions of the industry
OPINION: This edition celebrates three champions of the New Zealand wine industry, and their many decades of commitment to our vines, wines, research, and organisations.
It dips into the challenges of slowing exports, a hefty 2025 harvest, global uncertainty, and the fading influence of market-buoying baby boomers. But it also looks at how wine companies are adapting to the challenges, how markets like China are growing opportunities, and how the foundations of New Zealand's industry, including a happy serendipity of place, people and climate, remain rich with potential.
"The fundamentals are strong, and we just need to get supply and demand back in balance," says Clive Jones.
Clive is one of six 2025 New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows profiled in this edition, including viticulture "visionary" Dr Richard Smart, who passed away in early July, having been awarded his fellowship at the beginning of this year.
Judy Finn, Jenny Dobson, Gwyn Williams and Mark Allen have also been recognised for their commitment to the industry, in good times and in bad.
They will be recognised at the New Zealand Wine 2025 Celebration Dinner, on in Ōtautahi Christchurch on 28 August. The dinner, which will also celebrate the Young Viticulturist and Young Winemaker of the Year, follows hard on the heels of the Wine Business Forum, with its theme of Embracing Change and Sustaining Growth.
Expect to hear about some of the dark clouds being faced by the industry, but also the silver linings.
Sophie Preece
EDITOR
