The 22nd edition of the Auckland wine writer's annual Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines (Hachette) has recently been published, with reviews and quality and value ratings for more than 3000 wines.
''There are way more pinot noir labels than any other variety, despite the fact that sauvignon blanc is in volume terms 10 times or so as much. The fact is with many of the pinots they just make a barrel or two, whereas with sauvignon blanc many of them are in 100,000 cases,'' he said.
With a regularly updated online version, as well as a print version, the Buyer's Guide is consulted by sommeliers, wine retailers and wine lovers around the world, as well as in New Zealand.
As well as individual reviews, Cooper has developed a hierarchy of classic, superclassic and potential classic wines that perform well year after year.
It is updated annually, mostly with new additions, but sometimes by dropping wines that have either been overtaken by others or not maintained their quality, he says.
It provides an alternative to the unpredictable results of the numerous wine competitions, which many wineries do not enter.
''The Champion Wine trophy at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards went to Nautilus Cuvee Marlborough, which is a terrific wine, but in the same month that it got a gold medal, the sparkling trophy and champion trophy, it got a bronze medal at the Marlborough wine show.
"Conversely, the champion sauvignon blanc at the Marlborough wine show, Wither Hills, got a bronze medal in the Air New Zealand Wine Awards,'' he said.
''I'm trying to help identify the wines that have enduring excellence. I'm looking for wines that on three, four or five occasions at wine tastings have looked extremely good and over time the number of those wines goes up.
''I watch [a promising wine] for two or three years and if it keeps coming back looking outstanding I add it to the list.''
Besides the classics, he has a list of ''everyman's classics'' - benchmark wines that have been produced for many years and are good-to-excellent quality but won't break the bank.
''Most people are reluctant to pay more than about $15, and fair enough. I think on my income, if I wasn't involved in wine and had to buy my own wines, I would buy Church Road when it's on promotion, which it is all the time, and I would buy Villa Maria Cellar Selection when it's on promotion.
"You can get both those at about $14 or $15. The quality of those wines proves you can actually get very good wine at that price if you know what you are buying.''
However, he warns about much ''discounted'' wine.
''It's almost like consumers won't buy a bottle of wine unless it's being offered at half price and they don't stop to think that it's simply been priced up to be priced down, and more often than not those wines discounted to $15 taste like $15 wines.
"It's become a bit of a game by the wineries and the retailer.
"That's why I think it's important for consumers not to overlook the wineries who don't play that game but year in and year out produce excellent wine, at honest prices,'' he said.
Unlike some wine reviewers, he does not charge wineries for writing about their wines and does not accept advertising, so his opinions are frank, he says.
There's a trend back to good chardonnay, but it's probably in restaurants rather than in supermarkets.
Also there's a growing number of Italian, Spanish and other European grape varieties appearing, such as arneis, albariño, grüner veltliner, montepulciano, tempranillo and St Laurent, which adds interest to the local offerings, he said.
The industry is pulling out of the downturn of a few years ago, caused by the combination of the international economic recession and an unpredicted 39% leap on the previous record harvest in 2008.
''At the very time the industry, without having foreseen it, produced a crop nearly 40% bigger than ever before, people around the world and in New Zealand were tightening their purse strings in a big way.
"That drove the sudden major surge in bulk wine shipments which commanded a much lower price than the wine in bottles.''
The 2013 vintage was again a record harvest both in New Zealand and around the world, so he doesn't believe reports claiming a world shortage of wine.
''We are told there are still wineries struggling ... but surely the worst of it is over.''
