Lesser-known wines get chance to shine at forum

The country's wine industry will get a chance to raise its international profile as being something more than a maker of Marlborough sauvignon blanc, when it hosts a renowned wine symposium next year.

The International Cool Climate Symposium for Viticulture and Oenology will be held in Christchurch in February.

Glen Creasy, senior viticulture lecturer at Lincoln University who also helped plan the conference, said it was an opportunity to showcase the country's other world-class wine styles and expand its export offerings.

"For many the New Zealand industry is about Marlborough sauvignon blanc and nothing else," he said.

"Yet, we produce many other wines that are very high quality."

The five-day conference is expected to attract at least 800 delegates and speakers from France, the United States, Canada, Singapore and elsewhere. One speaker is international wine expert Professor Denis Dubourdieu of the University of Bordeaux in France.

Called Wine Growing for the Future, the conference will focus on sustainable winegrowing techniques as well as new technology and marketing, such as selling wine online.