WinePro is back!
WinePro is back!WinePro 2026 is fast approaching, returning to Blenheim from 23–25 June. This year’s conference programme is built around three key themes: Producer, Innovator, and Seller - reflecting the full journey of our region’s wine sector.
The three-day conference is designed to deliver practical, regionally relevant insights from expert speakers, alongside panel discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities shaping Marlborough’s future.
As the conference programme uses two rooms, two sessions will run concurrently. You will therefore need to select the session that you believe will be most beneficial to your role within the industry. You will be asked to make your selection during registration.
Full three-day early bird passes are $322 inc gst
Day passes are $207 inc gst
Get your tickets here: https://expertiseevents.eventsair.com/winepro26/wp26/Site/Register
Double Export Value – Closing the Gap to 2034
Terry Copeland - Programme Director Export Growth, MPI
Tuesday. Stream 1: 11am – 12 noon
New Zealand’s primary sector is a cornerstone of the export economy, and the wine industry stands out as one of its most globally recognized success stories. Presented by Terry Copeland, Programme Director Export Growth at MPI, this session will explore how broader export growth trends and forecasts are shaping the outlook for primary producers in the wine industry and how MPI is working to support the Primary Industry sectors achieve their goals. Terry has significant experience across the wine industry having previously held many senior roles in sales, marketing and export before leading primary sector organisations such as Federated Farmers and Young Farmers.
Dealing with the now
Marcus Wickham - Ormond Nurseries
Ed Chapman Cohen - RMA Consultant
Tim Rose - Rose AG
Tuesday. Stream 1: 1pm – 2pm
Dealing with the Now is a hands-on working session focused on the immediate, practical decisions facing growers and vineyard businesses today. This session concentrates on “what can be done now” by bringing together perspectives on:
• Planting decisions from a commercial nursery perspective
• Regulatory realities from an RMA consultant
• Exit or reconfiguration strategies from a vineyard removal specialist
The session is designed to give attendees clarity, direction, and confidence to act in the current environment.
From Process to Performance: Improving Efficiency and Quality Together
Panel Session led by Aaron Low, Chief Technology Officer amaea:
Dean Boyce - Winemaker Indevin
Jane de Witt - Head Winemaker North Island LION
Christian Kuun - South Island Manager Vintech
Tuesday. Stream 2: 1pm – 2pm
This session explores how targeted process innovation can simultaneously deliver efficiency gains and measurable quality improvements in wine production. Using Amaea’s new cold stabilisation process and earlier work with MIPS filtration technology as case studies, the session demonstrates how re‑thinking established operations can unlock performance improvements without compromising wine style or integrity.
New Product and Taste Development in Beer, Wine and adjacent products
Dr Peter Bircham, Head of Research and Development - Garage Project
Dr Amanda Dupas de Matos | Senior Research Officer - Food Experience and Sensory Testing (Feast) Lab
Tuesday. Stream 1: 3pm – 4pm
This workshop will explore how beverage R&D is evolving in response to changing consumer preferences, particularly around flavour, format, and occasion. With a focus on novel beverages and new product development, the session will highlight an area that has seen significant innovation in beer and alternative beverages, but remains relatively underexplored in wine. A mix of technical and practical, the workshop will offer insights into how new beverage concepts are developed, from identifying consumer trends through to experimentation and launch while acknowledging the different production cycles and constraints across categories.
Shared Knowledge, Shared Future: Is collaboration still at the heart of the wine industry?
Jane Hunter CNZM OBE, Executive Director - Hunter's Wines
Nigel Sowman, Consultant Viticulturist
Lan Zhang, Winemaker - Vinarchy
Tuesday Stream 2: 3pm – 4pm
This session brings together a pioneer and emerging leaders to explore how collaboration has shaped the wine industry - both in its formative years and in today’s rapidly changing environment. Through shared stories and contrasting perspectives, the panel examines whether collaboration remains a defining strength of the industry, and how it must evolve to stay relevant for the next generation.
Do you really know your vineyard numbers – and the forces shaping them?
John Wilson - JPEW
Mike Insley - Grapesense
Wednesday. Stream 1: 11am – 12pm
Marlborough grape growers are navigating a challenging operating environment, with rising input costs and shifting market dynamics putting sustained pressure on profitability.
In this session, John Wilson will set the scene, explaining why the industry is experiencing current conditions. Drawing on Marlborough wine industry trends and market forecasts, he will outline the key drivers affecting grape demand, pricing, and the likely timeframe for recovery.
Building on this context, Mike Insley will examine the on‑vineyard impact. Using current industry insights and referencing the 2025 MPI Marlborough Wine Industry Benchmarking analysis, Mike will comment on the real drivers of vineyard cost, how growers can stay on top of their numbers, and what today’s market realities mean for vineyard profitability.
Together, this session delivers the why and the what now, equipping growers with insight to better navigate the cycle and position their businesses for a return to more sustainable profitability.
Getting to Market vs. Getting Bought
Rod Smith, Managing Director - Engagement Group
Morven McAuley, Founder and Director - Tradecraft
Wednesday. Stream 2: 11am – 12pm
Getting wine into market doesn’t guarantee it will sell. This session brings together a merchandiser, a label design company, and a distribution expert to talk through what really influences buying decisions at the point of sale. From shelf layout and packaging to ranging and distribution realities, the discussion focuses on the practical things that help a product stand out, get noticed, and get bought.
Reducing Diesel & Labour: Powering a Smarter Vineyard
Tim Curr, Business Development & Product Support Manager - TRS Wholesale Limited
Garry Peek, Founder and Director - Peek Robotics
David Armour - Delegat
Wednesday. Stream 1: 1pm – 2pm
Rising fuel costs, labour shortages, sustainability pressures, and tighter spray windows are forcing vineyards to rethink how critical work gets done.
This session shares learnings from real‑world use of the world’s first commercially available fully electric sprayers for vineyard and orchard use, highlighting where genuine efficiency gains are being made — including reduced diesel use, lower spray waste, and decreased labour and admin demands. It also tackles the realities of wider adoption, such as equipment compatibility, charging infrastructure, and managing change in busy vineyard operations.
Focused on practical outcomes rather than theory, this session hosted by TRS Wholesale Limited and Peek Robotics offers growers and wine companies a balanced view of what’s working, what still needs solving, and how technology can progressively support more efficient and resilient vineyard businesses.
Margin Analysis: how do I know I am selling my product for the maximum value possible?
John Wilson - JPEW
Wednesday. Stream 2: 1pm – 2pm
Pricing decisions sit at the heart of wine business performance, yet many brands lack clear insight into how price movements truly affect volume and margin.
In this session, John Wilson (JPEW) will use real wine market sales and pricing data to examine what happens when brands move up or down pricing tiers. John will explore the relationship between price, volume, and margin, highlighting where value is gained, where it is lost, and why some pricing changes succeed while others erode returns. This data‑driven session will challenge assumptions around price sensitivity and provide practical insight into how to strike the right balance between price and volume - helping producers better understand whether they are maximising the value of every bottle they sell.
Your customers have changed - has your Digital Strategy?
Morven McAuley, Strategist - Tradecraft
Wednesday. Stream 1: 3pm – 4pm
Today’s customers don’t behave the way they did even three years ago. They discover brands differently, make decisions differently, and expect experiences that feel personal, immediate, and effortless. In this fast-changing landscape, the wine brands gaining attention are those with a clear identity and a point of difference people can recognise and remember.
In this session, Morven McAuley explores how defining what makes your brand distinct is the foundation of effective communication. From there, digital tools, data, and smarter customer engagement become far more powerful. When your brand is clear, your storytelling sharpens, your marketing becomes more consistent, and your customer touchpoints work harder. Designed to offer perspective, practical observations, and ideas that attendees can reflect on and apply in ways that suit their own business.
Shifting Climates: What the Science Means for Growers
Dr Damien Martin - BSI
Pete Taylor - Auxein
Wednesday. Stream 2: 3pm – 4pm
The research is in. Climate is shifting, phenology is moving, and the varieties and regions that define New Zealand wine today may not define it tomorrow. This session translates the science - ecoclimatic indices, sub-regional climate variation, long-run projections, and strategic risk - into the decisions growers are facing right now.
The vineyard property market: Where to from here?
Mike Poff - Property Brokers
Hadley Hayward - Alexander Hayward Property Valuers and Advisors
Stu Dudley - Viticulture
Thursday. Stream 1: 11am – 12pm
Hosted by three local experts—a sales specialist, a valuer, and a viticulturist—this session delivers a practical, forward-looking view of the vineyard property market. With a strong focus on preparing your asset for the future, the panel will highlight emerging opportunities, evolving buyer expectations, and the factors that can strengthen long-term value. Explore how vineyard performance and strategic improvements can position your property for resilience and growth. Attendees will walk away with clear, actionable insights on enhancing appeal, managing risk, and making confident decisions in a changing market—ensuring their vineyard asset is not just protected, but primed for what’s ahead.
Electrification - what’s possible and where to start
Andree Piddington - Yealands
Nick Entwistle - Rose Family Estate
Ben Glover - Brawn Vineyards & The Coterie
Josh Barcley - Whitehaven
Thursday. Stream 2: 11am – 12pm
Electrification is becoming a bigger part of the conversation across the wine sector, but for many businesses the question is still a practical one: is it only realistic for larger wineries, or are there real opportunities for others as well? This Circular Wine-led panel along with Electrify Marlborough will bring together wine businesses who have started this work, alongside expertise from the power sector. The discussion will look at what electrification can involve in practice, what is already being trialled or adopted, the barriers businesses may face, and how to start identifying opportunities that make sense in their own context.
Strategy, Structure, and Scale: The Zespri Experience
Dave Scullin, Chief Digital Officer - Zespri Limited
Thursday, Stream 1: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
In this session, Dave Scullin (Chief Digital Officer at Zespri) reflects on how the organisation has built scale and resilience over time.
He will outline the direction of Zespri’s 2035 strategy, including how its structure and operating model continue to support global market performance.
The session will also look at how Digital transformation, scalable platforms and AI are changing the way Zespri plans, manages supply and demand, and makes decisions across the business.
Are we Shipping Away Margin by bottling offshore?
Peter Crowe - WineWorks
Jaron McLeod - QuayConnect
Matt Mitchell - Marisco Vineyards
Thursday. Stream 2: 12.30pm – 1.30pm
With increasing cost pressures and evolving supply chains, offshore bottling has become an important strategic option for many wine businesses.
This session brings together perspectives from WineWorks, a leading bottler, QuayConnect, a neutral fourth party logistics operator, and a experienced Marlborough general manager/winemaker. The discussion will examine whether bottling offshore is delivering genuine value - or quietly eroding quality, margins, and brand equity.
The discussion focuses on real‑world trade‑offs, logistics realities, the long‑term implications for the New Zealand wine industry, and if there is anything we can learn for our emerging markets.