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Legal requirements

Your legal requirements are set out in the:

Exemptions

Export eligibility requirements don’t apply to trade samples of up to 110 litres in any one consignment, as long as those samples are not intended for retail sale and are clearly marked "not for sale". 

Check with your import agent or freight forwarder about any certification requirements for samples, as rules for samples vary by market.

Wine for consumption on an aircraft leaving New Zealand is also exempt from export eligibility requirements.

New Zealand grape wine up to a maximum of 27 litres in a single consignment that is being exported for reward or trade is exempt from export eligibility certificate requirements provided the wine has current export eligibility within Wine e-Cert prior to export, and the wine business keeps a record of the:

  • exporter's name
  • consignee's name
  • volume
  • destination country.

New Zealand Winegrowers

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is the industry body. If you sell your grapes or wine, you must pay a levy to NZW. This levy entitles you to membership of the group.  NZW also publishes an international wine-making guide and a wine labelling guide.

New Zealand Winegrowers website

Set up a Wine Standards Management Plan

If you want to export your wine it must be made and packaged under a Wine Standards Management Plan (WSMP). Your WSMP must be registered with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

Find out how to develop your Wine Standards Management Plan

Get your plan verified

You must get your WSMP verified by an approved verifier within 6 months of registration, or before your first export (whichever is the soonest). MPI will set an anniversary date based upon your first verification. After that, you must schedule a verification every 12 months.

You can schedule verification of the WSMP up to 28 days before your anniversary date. If you schedule it for sooner than that, your anniversary date will change.

If you can’t schedule a verification before your anniversary date, contact your verifier and MPI as soon as possible.

Email wine.query@mpi.govt.nz

Find out about wine verification

Meet labelling requirements

In general, the rules for labels apply to grape wine made in New Zealand whether it is sold locally or intended for export. But if your destination market has labelling requirements that are different from New Zealand's, you need to meet the destination market requirements instead. As an exporter, it is your responsibility to ensure label compliance with your destination market. New Zealand Winegrowers provides advice about international labelling requirements. It also has a labelling guide you can download on the members’ section of its website.

Keep records

For traceability purposes, exporters must keep accurate records for each lot or batch of wine, you must record:

  • the Wine Standards Management Plans ID number the wine was made under. (There may be more than one number if, for example, it was produced under one plan and bottled under another).
  • documents that show the wine complies with any export eligibility and relevant overseas market access requirements
  • the quantity, storage location, and package type
  • the person or business the wine was bought from and sold to.

Keeping this information in Wine e-Cert helps you keep track of which batches of wine are eligible for which markets, where wine has been sent, and the balance of available eligible litres. We have more information about Wine e-Cert in steps 3, 4, and 5.

When wine is made and branded by someone else

If you are exporting grape wine that's already been produced and branded in New Zealand, you don't need your own registered WSMP, but the wine producer and packager must have one.

You do not need access to Wine e-Cert but you must work with the wine producer to ensure you only export wine that meets:

  • export eligibility requirements under the Wine Act, and
  • any relevant overseas market access requirements. 

You will need the wine producer to apply for export documentation on your behalf, listing your details in the 'exporter' field of the consignment request in Wine e-Cert.

Extra requirement for organic wine

If you export organic wine, you may also need to register as an organic exporter, depending on your destination markets.

Find out about exporting organic products

Other steps

Find out what else you have to do to export wine

MPI business units