Grapevine - Which way forward for Sauvignon Blanc?

Spring is here and September is when many wineries begin to release this year’s Sauvignon Blanc vintage, although some wait until much later in the year. Some even until next year. Sauvignon Blanc, commonly known as Savvy, is the flagship wine from Marlborough – with about 70% of the grape production being of this varietal.

It’s no secret there was quite an overproduction of Sauvignon Blanc in 2008 and 2009, especially from the bigger companies, and that it damaged Marlborough’s reputation overseas. As Master of Wine, Bob Campbell, explains: ”the price of everything – bulk wine, grapes, bottled wine – came down. It has damaged the value of ’brand New Zealand’ and ’brand Marlborough Sauvignon’ in overseas markets. The question is will it go back to those earlier prices? Certainly the gap will narrow once they get the supply and demand correct.”

Marlborough’s Dog Point Vineyard owners, James Healy and Ivan Sutherland, are even more upfront yet positive. ”A gold-rush mentality took over and suddenly the industry was about profit not wine, but long term there is nothing to worry about. Many producers of quality wine are weathering the current problems.”

Winemaker and owner of Mahi winery, Brian Bicknell, admits that because of the crisis winemaking is not as much fun as it used to be. ”From 1996 to 2008 we had it pretty easy, and it’s still easy to be a little bit different, but ofcourse it’s harder now. I actually don’t think wineries have made much margin for years, but now you just have to work harder and travel more...”

Mahi, along with some of the other smaller and medium-sized top quality wineries, refused to drop their prices. Ofcourse this is easier when you are a small(er) producer and have worked harder at selling your wine. But as Bob Campbell points out, ”when you produce masses of wine it gets tough to do that. People tend to think that ’discount’ is an easy solution, but there are so many other alternatives. You may have to spend more on marketing and be cleverer. By dropping $10 off each case, it doesn’t mean the problem is fixed. In fact, you have just created a problem.”

Some wineries didn’t suffer at all, which the boutique Awatere Valley-based vineyard, Clos Marguerite, is proof of. They quite proudly say they were one of the few wineries in Marlborough not to overproduce. In fact, they underproduced. ”We sold very well that year and got really nice reviews and fantastic feedback,” says Marguerite Van Hove.

Although a lot of wineries and grape growers are still suffering financially, and some have sadly gone under, the 2010 vintage is smaller and looking fantastic. With spring in the air, and hopefully the worst of both winter and the crisis being history by now, it is time to look ahead and welcome the new vintages of Sauvignon Blanc.

Savvy from New Zealand is generally meant to be drunk young and is usually only worth cellaring one to two years. It can easily be drunk on its own, but is great with food, as Marguerite Van Hove explains. ”We have food in mind from the very beginning when creating our wines. Sauvignon Blanc goes very well with seafood and fish, as well as pork and poultry dishes. However, some of the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc may be a bit too overpowering with food. Wine is meant to compliment food not overpower it.”



IN THE CELLAR

Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Astrolabe’s flagship wine is a real winner for Savvy lovers and has also won several fine awards over the years. It has a soft nose, yet very powerful classic aromas of gooseberry, passionfruit and lime peel. A great food wine, especially with seafood. RRP $20

Churton Sauvignon Blanc 2009
This winery is a year behind most when it comes to Savvy, as it was only in June they released their 2009 bone-dry Sauvignon Blanc. What a treat and what a different example of a Marlborough Savvy. It even has a cork, not a screwcap. Great with both cheese and Asian dishes. RRP $23-27

Clos Margurite Sauvignon Blanc 2009
A classic for this little boutique Awatere Valley-based winery. It shows fine and typical mineral traits with clean stone fruit and citrus. A balanced, bone-dry and lovely food wine. RRP $25-$27

Kaimira Estate Brightwater Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Kaimira introduced their Estate label in 1999 to promote a food friendly range of wines in a dry to slightly off-dry aromatic style. This wine is fresh and zingy and the minerality of the Brightwater fruit gives it an interesting layer of complexity. RRP $14-17