WineNZ Summer 18-19 (1)

tastings | alternative sauvignon blancs
Alternative sauvignon blanc time. Simon Nash, Barry Riwai and Briar Davies.
The other
sauvignon
blancs
Words by Paul Taggart
A mildly vulgar, but oft-repeated observation about Marlborough sauvignon
blanc, is that it is generally picked, poured and peed before Christmas.
Which is great for
cash flow: no
months or years
wasted with it
sitting around in
barrels – in fact,
no expensive barrels required.
But the simplicity that makes sauvignon
blanc great, is also its achilles heel. Because
it is relatively easy and quick to make,
everyone’s doing it and the price has been
sliding in recent years.
Marlborough sauvignon blanc is still
classed as a premium-priced product in
some markets; however, premium means
it fetches better prices than Australian’s
nastiest bulk-exported shiraz, but it isn’t
anywhere near Bordeaux type of premium.
So some producers have come up with
the idea that wild yeast fermentation, ageing
in oak – or both – is potentially the way
forward if sauvignon blanc is going to
continue to develop and retain a premium
reputation and the public’s interest.
There are many great products that rest
on their laurels, and, as a consequence,
eventually fall by the wayside. The Nokia
mobile phone springs to mind.
With shiploads of sauvignon blanc
heading north every year, Marlborough’s
finest is a long way from where Nokia now
finds itself, but there are concerns that a
lack of innovation is beginning to take its
toll on our sauvignon blanc’s reputation,
especially in the UK. (we’re not talking
bulk exporting innovation here, we’re
talking wine innovation).
In a recent debate in London, Richard
Siddle, editor of Grapevine magazine, said
New Zealand wines were the “Coldplay
of the wine world” – meaning they were
consistent, popular, but a little bit boring.
The comment, made at New Zealand
House in Haymarket, grabbed headlines
and will, likely, do some damage. But the
same sentiment has been expressed in
different ways and by different people for
a number of years. As with Nokia, which
didn’t bother with new-fangled touch
screens, as they were too busy selling 130
million old-school handsets, sometimes
it’s hard to imagine the music will stop.
In Nokia’s case, Apple adopted touchscreen
technology and the result was the
Nokia juggernaut shuddered to a halt.
32 WineNZ Magazine | Summer 2018-19