NZ Winegrowers - Response to Britain newspaper

31 May, 2007

Statement from New Zealand Winegrowers
Attributable to Philip Gregan, chief executive

Response to Britain newspaper report to boycott New Zealand wine:

"The report in The Times suggesting readers buy French wine instead of New Zealand wine to improve their carbon footprint is inaccurate and misleading," New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Phil Gregan said today.

New Zealand wines are exported by sea to the United Kingdom, not by air. This mode uses less carbon emissions per kilometre than by air or road. New Zealand also does not subsidise the production and distillation of wine for which there is no market, as is done with billions of litres every year in Europe at significant carbon cost.

"In any event, the amount of energy used in exporting is only one aspect in sustainability and protecting the environment. To continually focus on 'food miles' is erroneous.

"There are other wider sustainability elements in the wine industry such as waste management and sustainable production."

New Zealand Winegrowers has pioneered the development of a sustainability winegrowing policy, which was introduced commercially in 1997 and which has been widely adopted by New Zealand's grape growing regions.

ENDS

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