2024
Last year was a year of celebration and reflection on the Marlborough wine industry’s success story with the significant milestone of turning 50 years as a wine growing region.
It has been a stellar ride to global recognition and success, and it would be so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that this wave will continue forever.
How quickly we have had to readjust and reset our expectations over the past twelve months. The situation has changed for many who may be experiencing a slowing rate of sales, too much stock, changing consumption preferences, vineyards reaching replacement age or maybe having a varietal mix that isn’t optimal.
Your board are committed to making a difference and sharing information is key. However, to uptake information and make use of it, people have to be on the lookout for it and connected and engaged with the industry. Our job is to package information up and deliver the right info to the right person.
2023
2023 MARKS 50 years of grape growing in Marlborough, offering opportunity to reflect on how our industry has developed and changed. The past year has reminded us of the cyclical nature of farming, with another record harvest for our region followed by a slowing rate of sales, with global economic uncertainty. There will be cautiousness as we head towards 2024 and we may well see more change afoot in our dynamic industry.
2022
Many of the challenges we have faced resulted from factors beyond our control, including a global pandemic and the wild cards dealt by Mother Nature, including the small vintage of 2021, followed by our largest ever vintage in 2022. More recently we have seen 100-year floods and subsequent damage.
Throughout this turbulent time the Marlborough wine industry has continued to prove itself as mature, resilient, connected and
organised. It is these traits that have helped us move forwards, rather than succumb to the pressures around us.
Our people deserve celebration and thanks. It goes without saying that the workforce - in the field, in our wineries and in the operational side of the industry - have dug deep to create success for the businesses they are part of, and for New Zealand Inc, which benefits from a strong wine sector. Without this drive and determination, we wouldn’t have managed through this chaotic period.
2021
AN EXTRAORDINARY year has passed in our global community, and there are many aspects we’d rather forget. But there have been stories of success, resilience and, yes, pivoting, that are certainly worth remembering.
Marlborough’s wine industry has faced challenge after challenge, from shipping headaches and alert level changes to labour shortages and spiralling costs of production. In so many cases we have worked as a team to analyse situations and devise solutions that allowed us to leap, or sidestep, those hurdles.
2020
OUR YEAR, like that of most organisations and industries, was shaped significantly by Covid-19.
Throughout 2020, and especially in these challenging and unprecedented times, it was a relief to turn back to our strategic goals as a guide. Our purpose is to ‘proudly stand up for, and build, the reputation of Marlborough’s wine region’.
2019
LAST YEAR we reported on the Marlborough Winegrowers Strategic Plan through to 2021, which was an important milestone for the organisation and gave us renewed assessment of our priorities and goals for the board and Wine Marlborough team to work towards.
Our main goal is to make Marlborough the world’s greatest wine region. We have set the bar as high as we can and, as a board, we are pleased with the progress towards our aims. The Wine Marlborough team are held to account through their 90 day planning cycles and a new reporting format at board meetings, which focuses on progress against our strategic goals.