A Taste of New Zealand

Following stops in Vancouver and Ottawa, the Great New Zealand Wine Tiki Tour rolled into Toronto yesterday (May 11). The annual road show series features an educational component for the trade and a public evening event centered around New Zealand wine and food.

“If you go back 25 years, there were less than 10,000 cases of New Zealand wine being sold in Canada – today we’re at 1.2 million cases,” says Robert Ketchin of the New Zealand Winegrowers Association in Canada.

While Sauvignon Blanc is the backbone of the wine industry in New Zealand, he says there are many other varieties for travellers to try such as pinot noir and chardonnay.

“When you do go to New Zealand, whether its bungee jumping or doing the fjords, hiking or biking the trails, or just taking a boat and sailing around the island, you can’t help but bump into New Zealand wine,” he says. “It’s all about freshness and capturing the natural flavours.”

Simon Toneycliffe, general manager of Whitehaven Wine Company Limited, has noted an increased interest in wine tourism in the destination – and more Canadian visitors particularly from cruise ships.

Pictured are: Ketchin, Gabrielle Boyd, Tourism New Zealand/North America, and Anik Gaumond, New Zealand Winegrowers Association.