New Zealand has won the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium (ICCWS) for 2026, with an estimated 500 wine specialists from around the world expected to meet in Christchurch.
The conference will take place at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and include pre- and post-touring options of the country’s world-class wine-growing regions, delivering an estimated NZ$1.1 million (US$669,713) to New Zealand’s economy.
The ICCWS covers all aspects of cool climate winemaking, from vine to glass to consumer, and provides delegates with a platform to discuss the latest research, exchange information and network with other wine producers, and taste some spectacular examples of the wines from the host country.
Leading representatives from New Zealand’s grape and wine industries will deliver a conference themed around Pure Innovation, sharing cutting-edge technology and the latest research and sustainability initiatives in the wine industry.
The bid was led by the New Zealand Society for Viticulture and Oenology, which has successfully hosted ICCWS twice previously.
The bid was supported by Plant and Food, Bragato Research Institute, Lincoln University and Auckland University, as well as Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team, ChristchurchNZ, and Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre.
