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Recognition of a New Zealand sauvignon blanc as the best selling wine in Australia last year has stirred the embers of trans-Tasman rivalry.
In fact, three out of the five top selling wines in Australia came from this side of the Tasman, the ABC reported.
According to New Zealand Winegrowers, export volumes to Australia lifted 51% in the past year, and have increased more than tenfold since 2002.
The value of wine exported across the Tasman has more than quadrupled in the past five years from $AU46.3 million ($NZ56.9 million) million in 2004 to $AU222.3 million last financial year.
Global exports of New Zealand sauvignon blanc increased 37% in the past year, compared with just a 3% rise in volume for other varietals over the same period.
Although New Zealand wines have been popular for some time, their presence on the Australian market has been more widely felt as the wine industry on that side of the Tasman battles the effects of falling prices, the grape glut and the high Australian dollar, the ABC reported.
Wine Industry Association of Western Australia president John Griffiths said New Zealand wines had taken between 10 to 15% of the market share in the last few years and growers were becoming more concerned.
New Zealand had provided some direct competition to Western Australia's white wines, especially the semillon sauvignon blanc.
The Margaret River wine region has an international reputation for producing quality wine. One of its most popular varietals is the blending of sauvignon blanc and semillon grapes but the increase in popularity of New Zealand whites is having an impact .
Part of the reason was price: "New Zealand sauvignon blancs are noticeably cheaper at the bottle shop," the ABC reported.
A Western Australian MP, Barry House, said Australian consumers did not realise the impact cheaper New Zealand wine was having on the local economy.
"The south-west region's wine industry is not only responsible
for a significant number of jobs but it also promotes and supports
the ongoing growth and viability of the tourism industry," he
said.
