Wine Atlas

The 2008 wine harvest is under way around New Zealand's winegrowing regions, with an anticipated yield of about 18 million cases of wine. But as the pickers moved into the vineyards in Gisborne, a deal was being signed in Auckland that will make that wine harder to sell, at least in New Zealand.

The takeover of Auckland-based wine distributor Burleigh Trading by Vintage Wines & Spirits is the latest development in the consolidation of the domestic wine market and, by reducing further the representation of small wine producers in metropolitan markets, one that could have significant long-term effects on the health of the wine business.

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A growing number of middle class Chinese are discovering a taste for French wine, with sales experiencing triple-digit growth last year, trade figures have shown.

Sales of French wine grew 145 percent last year, the French Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters said on Wednesday.

The growth in sales of French cognac and other spirits was equally high: Up 162 percent year-on-year by value, making China the third-largest market for the products, behind the United States and Singapore.

Chinese tipplers spent almost 247 million euros ($364 million) on French wines and spirits last year, making the country the 11th-largest market by value.

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