Knight of the Whites in land of the long white cloud

A view of vineyards in New Zealand. [Photo/China Daily]

Last year the total value of New Zealand wines exported was a record, a little shy of $1 billion, a 14 percent increase on the previous year. Exports to China increased by nearly 10 percent. Wine is now New Zealand's sixth largest export good.

Exports are of great importance to Fistonich's business as well. About 70 percent of the company's production is exported to more than 60 countries, he says. Since 1999, Villa Maria has exported wines to China through a distributor called Summergate Fine Wines.

In New Zealand, the mainstay is white wine, whereas in China drinkers prefer red wine over white by a much bigger margin than drinkers beyond Asia do. Fistonich has been well aware of this and says this red wine dominance in China is now changing.

"We are finding new drinkers, say young women, who are likely to develop a taste for white wines like sauvignon blanc, and pinot gris."