Circular Wine Group praises Marlborough recycling changes
New waste management rules in Marlborough will add impetus to recycling efforts by the wine industry, says Circular Wine Group member Jim White.
Forty years on, Senior Winemaker James Macdonald, Chair of Marlborough Winegrowers, reflects on the past year.
The Good: It’s amazing how quickly we forget the harvest that was. It’s only eight months behind us, yet already it feels like a distant memory. Looking back, the 2025 harvest in Marlborough was one for the record books in more ways than one. Despite considerable efforts to manage crop loads, 2025 turned out to be an enormous vintage. In my experience, large crops often come with increased disease pressure, but this year proved to be the exception. Marlborough’s brilliant weather played its part, allowing fruit to achieve perfect ripeness. Just a dash of early season rain, and the outcome could have been very different.
The Bad: While the harvest itself was a success, the picture since the last truck was tipped has changed markedly for many New Zealand wine companies, particularly trading with the United States. The 10% tariffs announced in May, while the juice was still fermenting, then the lift to 15% in August, was another blow to already sluggish sales. Business with the US continues, and it remains our single largest market, but growth is expected to remain flat for the time being.
The Awesome: Across the industry, everyone is now acutely aware of the challenges ahead. It has been heartening to see growers and wine companies come together to work through these issues collaboratively. The recent Wine Marlborough industry pulse-check survey showed a clear understanding of the importance of producing the quality grapes required to make quality wine. Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc grown to sensible cropping levels remains one of the truly great wines of the world; so good it almost sells itself. But when cropping levels push too high, the distinctiveness that built Marlborough’s reputation begins to fade, and the wine becomes less distinguishable from those produced elsewhere at a much lower cost. I know exactly where we will be aiming come vintage 2026.
