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Cat's pee on a gooseberry bush.
That was my initial introduction to Kiwi sauvignon blanc. For a budding wine enthusiast this was at once terrifying (you want me to drink what?) and relieving (finally wine descriptors that make sense!) Of course, Sauvignon Blanc is so much more, and within New Zealand there are nearly as many interpretations of the grape as there are sheep.
This green-skinned grape most likely hails from France’s Loire Valley, where it can blindingly shine in the Kimmeridgian limestone and Silex flint. As the third most planted white variety in France, sauvignon blanc (from the French for sauvage, meaning wild), is also comfortably at home in Bordeaux, blending in harmony with semillon; and also throughout Languedoc-Roussillon, contributing greatly to simple and tart Pays d’Oc IGP. The highly vigorous grape is widely adaptable, spreading as easily worldwide as its tangled and aggressive foliage. All things green are its hallmark: grass, hedge, meadow, asparagus, kiwi, green peppers, gooseberries, as well as passionfruit and elderflower in slightly warmer climates. Crisp, piercing acidity permeates all wines, save for those harvested in the hottest regions, and helps preserve freshness and zest in late harvest or oaked examples. Over the past 20 years the grape rocketed to fame as Marlborough's classic concentrated, pungent, fresh and unoaked style became an unprecedented success the world over—and all that from a small, 1969 planting of sauvignon blanc at Hawkes Bay by the Spence brothers at Matua wines.
Today, many savvy Kiwi savvy blanc producers aren't content to rest on the riches of their success, but are pushing styles forward. Wild ferment, various fermentation vessels, terroir and site specific wines, sparkling and low alcohol styles are being explored, to great success.
May 5 is International Sauvignon Blanc day, and the Great New Zealand Wine Tiki Tour is skipping across Canada this week and next with a contingent of Kiwi winemakers. Though the focus of the 2017 Tiki Tour is pinot noir, you can be sure that nearly, if not all producers will also be pouring at least one sauvignon blanc.
Here are our Top 10 Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc (and ties) tasted recently at GOW over the past year.
