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Market-specific export requirements for wine

Once you have met the general duties for all wine exporters, and any export requirements specific to your type of wine, you may also have to meet specific requirements for the country you are exporting to.

General duties of all wine exporters

Overseas market access requirements (OMARs)

Overseas market access requirements (OMARs) outline the legal (regulatory) requirements you must meet to export wine products from New Zealand to specific overseas markets (countries).

An OMAR is notified when NZFSA has done either of the following:

• negotiated with a country to agree upon their requirements

• set requirements to meet the regulations of an importing country.

If there is no OMAR for wine into a specific country it means either:

• there is no known trade restriction, or

• NZFSA has not negotiated access arrangements.

The country you wish to export to may still have import requirements that you must meet. You are responsible for ensuring you comply with their requirements.

OMARs do not cover the commercial requirements of the importer. You will need to check these with your distributor or importing agent.

For labelling advice contact New Zealand Winegrowers.

New Zealand Winegrowers website

Currently the only countries which have OMARs for wine are the European Union and the United States of America. NZFSA will continue to notify or make available to industry relevant OMARs as they become known to us.

OMAR - European Union

All New Zealand grape wine exports to the EU must meet EU regulation 479/2008 and related implementing regulations.

European Union wine regulations - European Commission website

Wine (Export to European Union) Notice 2003 [PDF 8.7 KB]

Notification of Market Access Requirements for Grape Wine: European Union [PDF 4.9 KB]

The EU OMAR is currently being reviewed.

OMAR - United States of America

If a New Zealand wine label states the wine is from a particular grape variety, then at least 85% of that wine must be from that variety. For grape wine sold in the USA, however, only 75% of the wine must be from the stated grape variety. The USA OMAR allows for this variation.
United States of America: Wine: Overseas market access requirements July 2007

Keep NZFSA informed of changes in export requirements

NZFSA strongly advises all exporters to keep NZFSA informed if they learn about new requirements, or changes in the way in which countries administer their requirements. This helps ensure the OMARs are consistently valid and as up-to-date as possible. It may also provide a basis for negotiations to amend an existing OMAR or establish a new OMAR.

Export documentation required by different export markets

Some countries may require an export document to accompany consignments of grape wine.

The following table lists the export documents issued by NZFSA to facilitate access to specific overseas markets.

Destination	Document required	Contact
European Community	VI-1 and VI-2 (These include laboratory test results)	Wine Export Certification Service (WECS)
South Africa	Cultivar Certificate	Wine Export Certification Service (WECS)
China	Free Sale Certificate (only where requested by the market)	NZFSA Certification Unit
Costa Rica	Product Registration Document	NZFSA
Panama	Product Registration Document	NZFSA
Turkey	Product Registration Document	NZFSA
Philippines	Product Registration Document	NZFSA

To obtain an export document other than those listed above you will need to provide NZFSA with official confirmation of the import requirements. This could be an import licence or a letter from the government of the importing country.

Contacts for New Zealand grape wine export documentation enquiries

Wine Export Certification Service (WECS): wecs@nzwine.com

NZFSA Certification Unit: wine.certification@nzfsa.govt.nz

NZFSA: wine.query@nzfsa.govt.nz

Related links

• General duties of all wine exporters

• Export requirements for New Zealand grape wine

• Export requirements for non-New Zealand grape wine, fruit or vegetable wine, cider or mead

• Laboratories for export wine analysis

• Statement of policy: Market access and official assurances principles

• Labelling requirements for export grape wine

• New Zealand winegrowers website

Updated 21 July 2009