International: Epicentre of NZ earthquake that wrecked 5 million bottles worth of wine

New Zealand's recent Kaikoura earthquake ruined enough wine to fill more than five million bottles, according to new industry estimates. See a report below, alongside a video of cracks in the landscape caused by the quake.

Marlborough lost just over 2% of its annual production in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck New Zealand two weeks ago, according to trade body New Zealand Winegrowers.

Marlborough produces ‘well over’ 200 million litres of wine annually, it said.

A fifth of the region’s tank capacity was damaged to varying degrees, NZ Winegrowers said.

It said that there was, however, a sense of relief overall.

‘While this is frustrating, this is not a major concern as vintage 2016 was a near record one,’ said the body’s CEO, Philip Gregan. ‘This means there is plenty of wine available to continue our market growth.’

He added, ‘The process of tank repair is already underway but it is going to be a big task which will continue for many months.’

Striking photos of the Kaikoura earthquake’s epicentre in North Canterbury show a huge crack in the landscape. It is reported to have raised seabeds by more than a metre in the area. See video footage here.

The quake killed two people and injured nearly 60, according to local media reports.

An earthquake that hit Christchurh in New Zealand in February 2011 was reported to have killed 185 people, with hundreds more injured.

Translated by Sylvia Wu / 吴嘉溦

About the author

Chris Mercer

Chris joined Decanter as news editor in 2013 and became editor of Decanter.com in 2015.

After a Masters in journalism in 2004, he moved to Languedoc-Roussillon in France. The first winemakers he met were too...

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