A local wine label is gaining strong sales growth from its low-alcohol sauvignon blanc, with output expected to hit the 60,000 bottle mark this year.
Auckland-based Invivo Wines launched Bella by Invivo in 2010, and the first vintage - made up of 6000 bottles - quickly sold out, says co-founder Tim Lightbourne.
He said the second, 24,000-bottle vintage of the low-alcohol sauvignon, released late last year, was snapped up by retailers in New Zealand and around the world.
And this year's vintage of Bella - which is 9 per cent alcohol, compared with the 12.5 to 13 per cent of most wines - was expected to reach 60,000 bottles, Lightbourne said.
He said consumers looking for lighter drink options for afternoon social events were helping drive demand.