Steps to exporting wine
Whether you're making wine to export yourself, making it under contract for an exporter, or buying it from a winemaker for export, you must comply with the Wine Act 2003.
Legal duties of wine exporters
All wine exporters need to know their duties under the Wine Act 2003.
Duties of exporters: Wine Act 2003 (section 40) – NZ Legislation
Follow the steps
There are 5 steps to exporting wine. It is the exporter's responsibility to ensure all requirements have been met before the wine is exported.
1. Meet New Zealand requirements
Before it can be exported, any grape wine made in New Zealand must meet the New Zealand export requirements.
2. Check destination market requirements
Some countries have special requirements for labelling and documentation for wine exported from New Zealand.
3. Register for Wine E-Cert
Wine companies need access to Wine E-Cert to apply for approval to export New Zealand grape wine.
4. Apply for batch approval
You will need to get export eligibility approval for every batch of wine you export.
5. Apply for consignment approval
Apply for approval for the consignment of wine. Only approved batches can be included in your consignment.
Wine export non-compliance
If your wine export is stopped at the border or no longer meets export requirements, you must tell the Ministry for Primary Industries within 24 hours of finding out about the problem and let us know what action has been taken.