More than 100 people attended the Otago Chamber of Commerce forum in Alexandra, which outlined a possible overview of the Central Otago district in the year 2020.
Topics covered included local government, tourism, horticulture, viticulture, agriculture, construction, mining and power.
A past president of the Central Otago Winegrowers Association, Martin Anderson, said the viticulture industry in Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes districts provided work for 500 full-time employees and added $150 million to the economy.
The average size of a vineyard was 8ha, which was one of the smallest in the country.
Grapes had fetched $3500-$4000 a tonne a year or two ago but were only fetching $2500 a tonne this year, he said.
"That's bad news for growers but good news, of course, if you're looking to buy grapes."
The wine scene nationally was going through difficult times and he believed it was probably the hardest time the industry had been through in 20 years.
"Many of the new entrants in the industry have only experienced good times, until now."
On the positive side, Central Otago was fortunate to have one thing that set it apart from the competition and that was its premium pinot noir, which was recognised worldwide as a market leader.
Protecting the main brand and enhancing that premium image was crucial, he said.
"Widespread discounting this year means lots of growers in Central Otago are producing second and third-tier labels of wine that you've never heard of, but that helps protect their main brand."
Growers in other areas wanted "the cachet of Central Otago" pinot noir so it was vital to protect that brand, he said.
Looking to the future, he expected more consolidation of the industry with vineyards changing hands.
Owners were generally older folk and some would be considering retiring.
