New Zealand Wines 2017

25th Edition!

New Zealand Wines 2017
Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide
Published by Upstart Press, RRP $39.99

Michael Cooper has tasted more than 100,000 wines for the annual Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guides – now celebrating its 25th edition.

It is a phenomenal achievement to have an annual book published uninterruptedly for 25 years!

The first edition, published in 1992, included 800 wines and ran to 279 pages. Now Michael Cooper covers 3,000 wines, and the Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide is about 600 pages thick. Over those 25 years here is how the NZ wine industry has grown:
 

•             In 1992, the total vineyard area in New Zealand was 6,099 hectares. It has now increased six fold –

For 2016 the total producing vineyard area is 36,192 hectares.

•             In 1992, New Zealand produced 41.6 million litres of wine.  In 2016 total production is 313.9 million litres of wine, up more than 750% over 25 years.

•             In 1992, New Zealand exported 7.1 million litres of wine, worth $34 million.  In 2016 exports reached 213.4 million litres, worth $1.57 billion. That’s an increase in volume of 3,000%.

With this edition, we celebrate 25 years of Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide. Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide has been successful because it gives the wine lover what they need. Michael’s goal is to provide truly independent wine reviews, in a media environment where advertorial is increasingly common and where many so-called wine ‘reviews’ are in fact purchased directly by wineries from so-called ‘critics’. 

Recognising that there is no shortage of good wine, Michael also aims to focus not only on each wine’s quality but also on its value.  Every wine is described in detail and then rated for quality and value-for-money. 

The 25th edition includes new tasting notes and ratings, suitable for the new initiate and the established wine-buff alike.

Divided by grape variety to help selection, this comprehensive guide includes vintage ratings, star ratings for quality, and a dryness/sweetness guide.

Other features include Classic Wines: wines that consistently achieve an outstanding level of quality for at least three vintages.

To help celebrate the milestone 25th edition of the Buyer’s Guide, Michael Cooper has listed 25 labels that all lovers of New Zealand wine should taste from time to time.  Regardless of whether your interest is in the country’s greatest wines, or those that offer the greatest value, the 25 featured in this book all make a huge contribution.

Michael Cooper is New Zealand’s most acclaimed wine writer, with 40 books and several major literary awards to his credit, including the Montana Medal for the supreme work of non-fiction at the 2003 Montana New Zealand Book Awards for his magnum opus, Wine Atlas of New Zealand. In the 2004 New Year Honours, Michael was appointed an ONZM for services to wine writing.

Author of the country’s biggest-selling wine book, the annual New Zealand Wines: Michael Cooper’s Buyer’s Guide, now in its 25th edition, he was awarded the Sir George Fistonich Medal in recognition of services to New Zealand wine in 2009. The award is made each year at the country’s largest wine competition, the New Zealand International Wine Show, to a ‘living legend’ of New Zealand wine.