Winery toasts future of China market

Snuggled in a micro-climate between Otaki and Levin, Ohau Vineyard is thought to be the only commercial vineyard in the region.

It launched its labels Ohau Gravels and Wovenstone just two years ago and was originally a dairy farm when property developer Dave Munro and his business partners bought for the land for a rural subdivision.

After looking at their initial plans, however, they decided it needed a theme.

"We were looking at perhaps olives or whatever, and found Kate Gibbs, our viticulturalist," Mr Munro explains.

She lived close by and knew the riverbed soil was similar to Marlborough's, and the area had a microclimate like Nelson's.

The early successes of the subdivision helped pay for the vineyard and they hired Jane Cooper, a top Wairarapa winemaker. It was a fortuitous move, with Ohau Gravels winning prizes in both the Air New Zealand and Romeo Bragato awards in its first vintage.

Further luck came in the form of Peter Healy, a former New Zealand trade commissioner to Vietnam, and his China contacts.

Volumes have been small so far, but the winery has forward orders from China for 10,000 of its 16,000 cases this year and plans to ramp up to 36,000 cases next year.

Mr Munro says his winery has "not so much escaped" the current woes of the wine industry as anticipated them, by seeking out export markets earlier than it might have otherwise done. But he is critical of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's lack of help.

"Trade and Enterprise is not particularly interested because they don't really see an immediate growth potential over there."

Mr Munro could not find any Kiwi wines at the massive spring sugar and wine fair in Guangzhou recently, yet the exposure was huge, even at the companion trade show he was part of.

His distributor is targeting Chinese women who do not care about drinking expensive red wine for prestige.