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Philip Gregan has spent an impressive 24 years heading up New Zealand Winegrowers, chaperoning the country\u2019s wine industry through both boom times and more challenging periods such as in the devastating aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Late last year, Gregan announced that he would be retiring from the role<\/a> in June 2026, and last week his replacement was confirmed as Anishka Jelicich<\/a>, who joins New Zealand Winegrowers from Pernod Ricard.<\/p>\n In an exclusive interview with the drinks business just months before he steps down, Gregan reveals he is \u201clooking forward to the change\u201d of retirement.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had a hugely enjoyable involvement in the industry for over 40 years but it is time to step back,\u201d he says, before admitting he doesn\u2019t have any firm plans for what comes next. \u201cI have listened to advice from colleagues to take my time before deciding,\u201d he says, sagely.<\/p>\n Astronomical ascent<\/p>\n There aren\u2019t many who have dedicated such a significant portion of their working life to just one company, and during his time at New Zealand Winegrowers Gregan is fortunate to have witnessed the astronomical ascent of New Zealand wine from having \u201cpractically no level of recognition in international markets\u201d to exporting 288.772 million litres of wine in 2025, according to the latest New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Report.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I joined the wine industry in 1983, we were a small domestically-focused industry, with only about 100 wineries and less than 5,000 ha of grapes,\u201d he tells db. \u201cBack then, fortified wines were still a huge part of the sector, something that is virtually non-existent today. We now export $NZ 2.1 billion worth of wine to more than 100 countries.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking back at his proudest achievements, Gregan notes that it is \u201chugely rewarding to see Sauvignon Blanc and sustainability recognised around the world as hallmarks of New Zealand wine\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n But which periods does he see as representing the biggest turning points?<\/p>\n Plunged into exports<\/p>\n \u201cI joined the industry in the 1980\u2019s at a pivotal moment \u2013 the signing of New Zealand\u2019s Free Trade Agreement with Australia,\u201d he points out. \u201cThis was a real turning point for the wineries and growers as we were forced to confront the future without the security blanket of a protected domestic market. Fortunately, the sector responded positively to the challenge; our wineries headed offshore and plunged headlong into exports and have never looked back,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n In describing this, he hits on two common threads that have run throughout New Zealand\u2019s wine trade for many decades.<\/p>\n Firstly, declining domestic wine consumption has long been a tender point. In 2024, total domestic wine sales reached the lowest level in two decades (78.9m litres), representing a 20% decrease on a per capita basis in less than a decade. Why, when drinkers across the globe are thirstily snapping up New Zealand wine, do the country\u2019s producers struggle to shift the same product to domestic consumers? A 2026 report by the New Zealand Herald <\/a>suggests that beer is now the beverage of choice for Kiwis, representing 60% of the total volume of alcoholic beverages available for consumption, while spirits and RTDs follow suit with 21% of the share. Wine represents about 19%.<\/p>\n Secondly, and on a more positive note, there is a lasting camaraderie with New Zealand\u2019s neighbour, Australia. Indeed, when asked which global regions Gregan thinks are doing a particularly good job at making and marketing wines, he says: \u201cIf pushed to name one country, I have to say I have a very deep affection for our antipodean cousins, Australia. We might not agree on things like rugby and cricket, but we often look at the world from a similar perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n In recent years New Zealand and Australia have even joined forces to market their wines in combined trade tastings and events, an approach that has divided commentators with regards to the potential risks and rewards of doing so.<\/a><\/p>\n Recipe for future success<\/p>\n While it\u2019s no hyperbole to say that Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has been one of the global wine industry\u2019s biggest success stories, it\u2019s not all a bed of roses. In March 2026, db reported that New Marlborough is bracing for a prolonged downturn, with growers cutting production and facing mounting financial pressure. Anton James, managing partner of Anton James & Co,. one of Marlborough\u2019s most experienced accountant firms, said that the next few years are going be \u201cso dire\u201d<\/a> for the region\u2019s winegrowers, adding that every grape grower he had spoken to was looking to mothball vines in the wake of falling demand and lower prices.<\/p>\n If Gregen could have one wish granted for the future of NZ wine as a retirement gift, what would it be?<\/p>\n \u201cTo ensure that our vineyards and wineries continue to innovate and experiment as they have over the last generation or so,\u201d he reveals.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been successful because our wines did not slavishly follow established models,\u201d he continues. \u201cI think there is an important message in that for our research programmes\u2026 We have some amazing and absolutely world-class research going on in New Zealand at the moment at the Bragato Research Institute\u201d.<\/p>\n According to Gregan, the Institute\u2019s long-running Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 programme<\/a> \u201cis going to deliver a range of new clones of Sauvignon that will enable us to meet the challenges of climate change while preserving the distinctive characteristics of our wines,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n \u201cSimilarly, our Next Generation Viticulture programme has the potential to revolutionise the way we grow our vines. Together these two programmes offer the prospect of really exciting developments in our vineyards in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n One such revolution was the approval in 2023 of a pioneering biofungicide<\/a> in New Zealand\u2019s vineyards to help stave off botrytis in Sauvignon Blanc. Called Novellus, the treatment is a valuable weapon in the fight against the fungal disease, which is estimated to cause damages of up to NZ$5,000 (\u00a32,500) per hectare for kiwi winegrowers.<\/p>\n A fond farewell<\/p>\n Summarising what he has learned from his long career in wine, Gregan muses: \u201cI suppose the number one lesson is that nothing stays the same for long. Ultimately, I think what that means for the wine business is that we need to ensure we stay in touch with our customers\u2019 wants and needs, otherwise they will leave us behind.\u201d<\/p>\n Exactly how hard will it be, come June, for him to say goodbye to the trade? And will he try to keep his hand in? \u201cIt will be a huge change, but I am looking forward to it. I really don\u2019t know what the future holds at the moment, which is actually exciting, so time will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n Read db\u2019s earlier Big Interview with Philip Gregan here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related news<\/p>\n \n
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