Marlborough sub regions need ‘quality controls’

Marlborough has achieved global success with its Sauvignon Blanc, but producers should be working harder to communicate sub regional differences rather than blending across the region, believes one winemaker.

(L-R) Blank Canvas winemaker Matt Thomson and director Sophie Parker Thomson

Winemaker Matt Thomson, who has worked as an international wine consultant for the past 20 years, released the first vintage of his Blank Canvas range in 2013, having founded the brand with his wife, MW student and director of the company Sophie Parker-Thomson.

Since then, the pair have released a Gruner Veltliner, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Syrah, all from single vineyard sites throughout Marlborough, and Hawkes Bay for its Syrah – which interestingly is co-fermented with Gruner Veltliner skins.

While single vineyard wines and expression of terroir is now commonplace, Thomson recalls a time when people thought the idea was “crazy”.

“I started talking about single vineyards in 2004”, said Thomson speaking to the drinks business. “When I first suggested it we had people say that’s not going to work, consumers won’t understand it. I said if they can understand Burgundy then they can understand this. Now it’s becoming more popular.

“Single vineyard wines for me are the only wines that can express the terroir because as soon as you blend you do blur those lines. Not to say they aren’t good wines, but you cannot express that terroir.”

This, says Thomson, has been both a blessing and a curse for Marlborough, which has achieved global success with its Sauvignon Blanc.

“The strength in Marlborough is that the Sauvignon Blanc tastes consistent from one producer to the next because of that fruit expression, but you also have smaller producers within Marlborough who have their vines in one sub region that are able to say this is not the same as over there.”

Thomson used wines produced in the coast sub region of Dylan’s Point as an example, which he said don’t carry the characteristic herbals notes commonly found in Marlborough Sauvignon and are instead known for their “oyster shell, saline quality.”

“If you blend from everywhere you are not expressing a single site”, said Thomson. “These larger producers are not doing a bad thing, but it’s something that Marlborough doesn’t do well enough. We have a regional style and a wine with the greatest sense of place of any wine in the planet. Most people would back themselves on being able to pick out a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. In a world with oceans of wine with no sense of place it’s fantastic to have something that’s so expressive of a variety and where it comes from. But there are a lot of producers that have strong sub regional differences and we need to start talking about that.”

“We need to start thinking about basic rules as to what we can call Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc”

Blank Canvas Syrah from Hawkes Bay

To further knowledge of its sub regions, Thomson suggested that a DOC-like system, specific to different sub regions of Marlborough, could benefit the industry, allowing winemakers to express sub regional differences while maintaining the consistency and style of Marlborough Sauvignon.

“All of the wines exported from NZ are tasted by an expert panel, and that’s a good thing, but I think we need to start thinking about basic rules as to what we can call Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc”, said Thomson. “It may be a minimum BRICS levels, or tonnage limitations. My view is that these controls will need to vary depending on the sub regions. If you look at the success of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc it’s because of that generic style. People know what they are going to get. If you have a DOC, or a sub region, you have to have that consistency of style because you need to build up that trust.”

Thomson also expressed concern over the growing dominance of bulk wine, particularly from countries like New Zealand and Australia, stating that its growth further invited the need for greater quality controls.

“We need to be careful about bottling in New Zealand versus bottling oversees”, he said. “There needs to be some kind of marker on it, because you do lose control. People that live overseas import bulk wine from NZ and sell it having put no investment into the [domestic] industry. If Marlborough’s industry collapses as a result they don’t lose much, but people that own vineyards and land they do have something to lose.

“I’m not sure that we should be handing over control of our industries to people that don’t live in Marlborough. But we have to be careful because the bulk wines market, like it or hate it, is there and it’s an important industry and if you were to kill it that would have a profound impact.”

Blank Canvas wines are available in the UK through Liberty Wines.