What Kiwis Are Drinking with John Macpherson of Advintage
This show was published Friday, March 6, 2026
- What Kiwis Are Drinking with John Macpherson of Advintage
Overview
John Macpherson founded Advintage in 1999 as an online wine retailer, selling and delivering wine throughout New Zealand's north and south islands. They have a real ‘bricks and mortar’ store in Havelock North where Mac and his team operate the online business from.
In this first interview we find out about the range they stock, comprising around 1500 SKUs of good quality, great value wines from around New Zealand (60%) but also from Australia, France, Italy, Spain, California among others (40%).
Chardonnay is by far their biggest seller for NZ consumers, outselling Sauvignon Blanc which is the dominant variety in the grocery retail/supermarket sector.
90% of the Chardonnay sold by Advintage is from New Zealand, in the main, produced locally in Hawke's Bay, followed by Marlborough. A full, rounded, big style is the preferred style that sells well in New Zealand. California and Southern France Chardonnays also do well. For sparkling, Kiwi drinkers enjoy their Champagne and French fizz as well as home-grown NZ bubbles.
Australian Shiraz remains popular for the reds, as well as Aussie Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blanc for whites. Advintage are seeing a trend away from NZ Syrah, perhaps due to a lack of consumer understanding of the style. NZ Rose is a newer trend, with many producers now making rose wines in response to consumer demand for the style.
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Music
The music used for the UK Wine Show is Griffes de Jingle 1 by Marcel de la Jartèle and Silence by Etoile Noire.
