In the very near future New Zealand wine will achieve an important landmark — annual exports of more than $1 billion. That will be one year ahead of schedule, a stunning achievement for an industry that exported only a little more than $100 million of wine a decade ago.

That success has been driven by the decisions, the commitment and the investments of our grape growers and wineries. Together they have built New Zealand wine into a globally successful brand.

Events in the past year, however, show that the industry is now in a new phase in its evolution. Following the larger than expected 2008 vintage, bulk wine exports lifted sharply provoking concern in the industry. For vintage 2009, growers and wineries worked hard to manage the grape intake down to levels in line with market demand, while recent weeks have seen the cancellation of some grape supply contracts and vineyards being pulled out. Tough times for our growers and wineries, made even more difficult by the impact of the global recession.

Changes and challenges have been faced by our industry before. On each occasion we have emerged stronger by lifting our commitment to high quality, market led brands.

The call to action today is no different. A single-minded focus on maintaining the premium positioning of the New Zealand wine brand must drive every decision taken by our growers and wineries. Consumers must be offered an outstanding wine experience and the supply demand equation must be managed effectively.

That is the key to the next billion dollars of profitable exports.