Hawke’s Bay Red Wine Industry growing
June 30, 2009
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Fund has recently awarded the Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Association a significant grant to help develop and grow the red wine industry in Hawke’s Bay. Tukituki MP Craig Foss says this grant is vitally important to the development of the Hawke’s Bay wine industry and it will not only benefit the winegrowers but the whole region.
The financial benefit to Hawke’s Bay’s Winegrowers Inc., the regional wine organisation, will be up to $50,000 to contribute to key projects under NZTE’s Regional Strategy Fund.
“We know Hawke’s Bay Wines are fantastic but this grant is about taking that message to the rest of the world” say Mr Foss. “I understand that there are five projects that will be funded through this grant including dealing with issues surrounding grower education and technology transfer however the major project is to grow Hawke’s Bay’s Red Wine sector.”
“This funding will help us further quantify the contribution that the wine industry makes to Hawke’s Bay,’ said HB Winegrowers’ Association Executive Officer Lyn Bevin. ‘It will also allow us to take Hawke’s Bay wines to the world and in turn bring the world to Hawke’s Bay”
Funding will be used to develop a NZ Cabernet Merlot Forum as an annual event in the New Zealand wine industry calendar. This forum will take place in January 2010 to coincide with a national Syrah Symposium being held in Hawke’s Bay, hosted and run by Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Inc.
The aim of the forum is to identify issues that enhance and hinder the export of Cabernet Merlot wines, and to help develop Hawke’s Bay’s strengths and market leadership for this wine category.
Another part of the funding is to develop a programme of varietal tastings that give local grape growers and winemakers the opportunity to improve export wine quality, and to gain better knowledge of competing wines on an international level.
“I understand the Association is planning events in Australia for 2010,’ added Mr Foss. ‘Such initiatives are to be celebrated and I am looking forward to watching our red wine industry grow”
