We all know by now that Australian 2004 grape harvest was enormous (see Drowning in wine). But proportionately the New Zealand crop was even more unexpectedly vast. A record NZ crop of 110,000 tonnes were expected – a considerable increase on the frost-affected 2003 harvest of 76,000 tonnes – but in fact, once all the sums were done, the total 2004 harvest has turned out to be 166 tonnes – an amazing 117 per cent increase on the previous year (see regional detail below). The previous record crop was in 2003 when 118,700 tonnes were harvested. This is a...