NZ winery charged with export fraud

A New Zealand wine company and three of its directors are facing 156 wine fraud charges.

The charges relate to sauvignon blanc and pinot noir varieties from Waipara and Marlborough made between 2011 and 2013. Among the allegations are that false statements were made about the vintage of a wine or where it was produced when the company was applying to send product overseas.

The wines in question were exported to Australia, the UK, Japan, Fiji and Thailand by Southern Boundary Wines, which is based in the North Canterbury wine region of Waipara.

Its vineyard manager and winemaker Scott Charles Berry, winemaker Rebecca Junell Cope, and operations/export manager Andrew Ronald Moore (pictured above) have all been accused of involvement in the alleged misconduct.

They have been remanded without pleas to November 30.

It's believed the information was brought to the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) by a whistleblower. It is the first time charges have been laid under New Zealand's Wine Act. 

The company and three directors were charged in February, but an interim suppression order that prevented reporting on the case was only lifted at Christchurch District Court this morning.

An interim suppression order made today prevents the names and brands of wines being revealed, along with the source vineyards.

New Zealand Winegrowers expresses concerns

"We have been informed about the matter and the allegations and we know that MPI has been investigating carefully for some time," said Jeffrey Clarke, New Zealand Winegrowers acting CEO.

"New Zealand wineries and grape growers are committed to the highest standards of product integrity and quality, and there are very good systems in place in New Zealand to ensure this. The investigation proves the systems in place work and it is appropriate that this matter is before the courts.

"The New Zealand wine industry is highly regarded around the world and we cannot let the alleged actions of one winery damage a reputation that we have all worked so hard to build."