Chinese people may be distinctly visible when they are visiting New Zealand wineries and experiencing a wine tasting of a local Sauvignon Blanc at the cellar door. When the researcher was visiting New Zealand wine regions (Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough), a considerable number of questions emerged naturally whenever the researcher came across Chinese people visiting wineries within New Zealand, either individually or in groups. Were they from within New Zealand or outside? What motivated them to visit a wine region and experience wine-themed activities? It was said that Chinese prefer dry red wine but do they really enjoy that type? Where was their wine palate located exactly on a spectrum?

Historically, wine was an exotic good for China and not routinely consumed by most Chinese in China. Furthermore, without a foundation of wine culture and solid cultural background to understand wine, most Chinese have limited knowledge compared to international standards. Whether such an emerging phenomenon of winery visiting would benefit the New Zealand wine and wine-tourism industry calls for an in-depth study. Although wine tourism research from New Zealand continues to make a substantial contribution to the field, there are no references to wine tourism from a New Zealand Chinese perspective. This study of New Zealand Chinese wine consumption and wine-related tourism behaviour was designed to fill an academic void.