Sauvignon blanc leads vintage year for exporters

International thirst for kiwi sauvignon blanc drove wine exports to a record high of six million litres last month.

"September was the biggest-ever month for sauvignon blanc," said Philip Gregan, New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive.

"Those 2005 [vintages] coming into the market are driving export growth."

The six million litres of wine - or eight million bottles - exported in September was 28 per cent higher than a year earlier.

Of the total wine exported last month, 4.6 million litres was sauvignon blanc, a 31 per cent increase year over year. Pinot noir is the country's leading export red wine, with more than 305,000 litres exported in September, a 61 per cent increase over the year before. But riesling and pinot gris varieties were down 21 per cent and 39 per cent respectively in September.

Export volumes increased in each of New Zealand's key markets, led by an 88 per cent increase in shipments to Canada. The largest market for New Zealand wine, Britain, took in a 33 per cent increase last month to 2.5 million litres. Gregan said the September result was not an isolated gain, noting that for the first nine months of 2005, total exports were up 26 per cent over 2004.

World demand for wine is continuing to exceed supply. Gregan predicts that many leading wine exporters will start to run short of product by early next year. The total value of wine exports was $448 million for the year until August.