Global wine oversupply sees growers pulling out vines, switching fruits

Hundreds of hectares of vineyards are being pulled out across the country due to an oversupply of wine. 

The New Zealand Winegrowers Association's told RNZ an estimated two thousand hectares of grapes have been uprooted. 

A combination of several years of large harvests and falling alcohol consumption has led to a drop in demand. 

Fruitfed Supplies Technical Horticultural Representative Blair McLean told Kerre Woodham we're also lacking diversity. 

He says they have 32-thousand hectares of grapes in Marlborough, but 90% are sauvignon blanc. 

McLean told Woodham growers are turning to kiwifruit and apples, or even farming livestock instead. 

He says a lot have put sheep in their vineyards, and some are making a lot more money than they do off grapes. 

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