Winemakers expecting high quality vintage

Winemakers are expecting a high quality vintage this year.

New Zealand wine sales have risen 11% this year, with an extra 23% grapes harvested to respond to demand.

New Zealand Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan says wineries and growers can look to the year ahead with cautious optimism.

"I think we're looking forward to more growth in wine sales, particularly in China, northern Europe and the United States, but we've still got issues to address around profitability of wineries and growers."

Mr Gregan says that's something everyone in the industry is very focused on.