There’s more to New Zealand white wine than sauvignon…

There’s more to New Zealand white wine than sauvignon blanc

New Zealand’s Marlborough wine region has the perfect sunny climate and soils for growing sauvignon blanc grapes – it’s biggest export by far. — New Zealand’s Marlborough wine region has the perfect sunny climate and soils for growing sauvignon blanc grapes – its biggest export by far. Photograph: TSKB/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Few people would deny that the most successful white wine of the past decade has been New Zealand sauvignon blanc, least of all the Kiwis themselves. The transformation of the Marlborough region in the north of South Island into what is, in effect, a gigantic grape farm has been the wine world’s equivalent of the gold rush. With a reliably sunny climate, prolific yields and a simple vinification process (there’s no expensive oak in most savvy blancs), this is probably one of the most profitable wines ever made. Which is, of course, why it accounts for some 86% of the country’s wine exports.

But – and you guessed there would be a but, didn’t you? – it’s become, dare I say, a tiny bit boring. Many of the country’s top producers have recognised that, too, which is why today’s sauvignons, especially those from the excellent 2019 vintage, are just that bit more restrained, more nuanced, less in-yer-face. They’re even trotting out older vintages – a development I’m not totally convinced by, but is all about getting the message across that sauvignon can be serious.

Still, the Kiwis don’t want to be defined by sauvignon alone, not least in case we all suddenly fall out of love with it, so they’re intent on proving they can turn their hand to other varieties as well. In terms of whites, that means aromatic grapes such as riesling, pinot gris (which is made in the rich, often off-dry Alsace style), gewürztraminer and, perhaps surprisingly, Austria’s grüner veltliner. But although these play well to the home market, which, from a culinary point of view at least, is far more connected to Asia than to Europe, they’re never going to replace sauvignon blanc in our affections.

There are two varieties that might, however. One is chardonnay, which is undergoing something of a revival in New Zealand due to the focus of quality production shifting from Hawkes Bay to Central Otago (also home of pinot noir, which I’ll talk about next week) and Marlborough, which must be galling, because they pulled a whole lot of it up not too long ago. Admittedly, it doesn’t come cheap, and not all of it is available here (I’m thinking Gibbston Valley’s China Terrace 95, in particular), but it is pretty bloody gorgeous.

But if I had to put money on what New Zealand’s next rising star will be, it’s albariño. True, there’s not a lot of it about (not yet, anyway), but it’s delicious, slightly fruitier than you find in Galicia, though equally as crisp and saline, all of which make it as appealing to the pinot grigio drinker as to the sauvignon blanc one. Watch this space …