Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson has opened an experimental vineyard in Blenheim, which will help futureproof the wine sector.
The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, has enabled controlled environmental conditions.
“The research that will be produced at the Experimental Future Vineyard will help ensure New Zealand’s wine sector is prepared for challenges such as changing weather patterns,” said Patterson.
“The Coalition Government is focused on growing the economy, doubling the value of our exports, and ensuring our regions are supported to developing their unique growth opportunities through strategic investment.”
This state-of-the-art facility enables research to futureproof the sector, ensuring it thrives while protecting and enhancing New Zealand’s $2.4 billion a year in wine exports.
Marlborough is New Zealand’s largest wine region, contributing $637 million annually to GDP. It produces 80 percent of the country’s export wines and directly employs more than 2,900 people and many more seasonal workers.
Plant & Food Research will operate the Experimental Future Vineyard, work closely with the Marlborough Research Centre and the wider wine industry, and provide industry training.
The vineyard was funded with $900,000 from a $3.79m loan from Kānoa – Regional Economic Development & Investment Unit to the Marlborough Research Centre.
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