NZ Sauvignon: a lovable dog or rock star?

From rock stars to lovable dogs, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was compared to a strange range of things at the country’s first “celebration” of the grape. We round up the most striking analogies.

All the parallels were drawn by speakers at the International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration in Marlborough from 1-3 February, where a range of prominent personalities considered the past and future of this distinctive grape, especially its role in successful development of the New Zealand wine industry.

Among the themes discussed during the three-day event were the need – or not – for stylistic evolution among Marlborough Sauvignons, as well as a careful look at the industry’s view of this popular grape, particularly within the Australian wine trade, where Sauvignon has earned a number of derogatory monikers, from “bitch diesel” to “cougar juice”, according to Jane Thomson, founder of Australia’s The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society – who was a speaker at the celebration.

Nevertheless, the comparisons for Sauvignon during the event were far from unkind, and gave a realistic assessment of this grape’s peculiar traits – which centre on its easy-to-identify character, and consistent quality.

Indeed, as previously reported by the drinks business, US wine writer Matt Kramer, who was also asked to speak at the celebration, identified the grape’s unmatched dependability.

“Sauvignon Blanc is the world’s most reliably good dry white wine – full stop,” he said.

Over the following pages is a selection of Sauvignon analogies from the event.

David Bowie

For wine writer and commentator Robert Joseph, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the David Bowie of the wine world – and that’s because the grape has been the source of constant change; it has gone through a series of reinventions.

Just as the rock star altered his music and persona to suit the zeitgeist during his long career, Sauvignon Blanc has displayed a number of different faces since its arrival onto the international wine scene in the 1980s – when it offered a bright refreshing change to the semi-sweet Sauvignons from other New World sources, such as the US.

Among the alterations, New Zealand Sauvignon has offered consumers a range of styles, from the crisp and herbaceous, to the rich and textural, helped by the use of old and new oak for fermentation and ageing.

The use of natural yeasts, rather than inoculated ferments, has also brought new layers of flavour to Sauvignon based wines, as has “natural” approaches, which have seen Sauvignon bottled with minimal winemaking additions.

And the most recent re-invention? That is sparkling Sauvignon Blanc – a development Joseph asked the industry to embrace.

“The wine trade doesn’t want anything to do with sparkling Sauvignon, but why be ashamed of it – the consumer loves it and there’s a good reason to make it: it tastes good, and it tastes like nothing from anywhere else.”

The Rolling Stones

Picture source: tenementtv.com

Although Robert Joseph praised New Zealand Sauvignon for its Bowie-like reinvention, he also compared the grape to one of the music world’s most lasting, and unchanged acts: The Rolling Stones.

Having played essentially the same type of music for the past 50 years, and without losing their appeal, Joseph said that New Zealand Sauvignon doesn’t have to go down the reinvention route.

Indeed, it is New Zealand Sauvignon’s reliably distinctive style that has sustained its success, encouraging Joseph to urge those producers who are in search of new Sauvignon expressions not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater”.

Continuing, Joseph made a further analogy, comparing New Zealand Sauvignon to the world’s most popular pizza: the Margherita.

“People think about wine like they think about pizza – they like the Margherita, so they have that wherever they go… and they wouldn’t enjoy finding that their Margherita has pineapple on it just because the chef wanted to experiment,” he said.

Summing up, Joseph asked New Zealand winemakers to preserve the Sauvignon style that has proved so successful, but also to innovate, and when doing so, make it abundantly clear to the consumer how new cellar techniques have influence the taste of the wine.

“Please experiment, please innovate, please reinvent, but please, please, please communicate – put it on your back labels, and tell consumers what you are doing… Let’s celebrate diversity, but let’s help the consumer understand the roads we are taking, and don’t expect them to stumble along in our wake.”

A Labrador

Moving away from rock icons, or pizzas, another speaker at the International Sauvignon Celebration came up with a further, and novel analogy for New Zealand’s most planted grape – comparing it to the world’s most lovable dog: a Labrador.

The illustration came from Jane Skilton MW, a UK-born wine educator and writer who has been based in New Zealand for the past 15 years, and chaired the ‘International Tasting’ at the Sauvignon event.

Addressing attendees at the celebration, she began, “When describing Sauvignon Blanc, what should one use? Dogs.”

And, among the many breeds, she said that Sauvignon was most like a Labrador.

“Labradors are the very essence of Sauvignon Blanc,” she stated. Explaining her chosen analogy, she added, “With Labradors you know exactly what you are getting.”

Continuing she said, “And anyone can approach a Labrador for a hug – no wonder it’s the most popular of all breeds.”

Kylie Minogue

Our final comparison saw New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc likened to Australian-born pop singer and actress Kylie Minogue.

The analogy was provided by Jane Thomson, founder of Australia’s The Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society, who said that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc attracted the same level of affection, as well as ridicule, as the singing celebrity.

“One Australian winemaker I spoke to compared Australia’s obsession with [New Zealand] Sauvignon Blanc to Kylie Minogue – and you can see why,” she began.

“Like Kyie, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is easily recognizable, uncomplicated; it has the support of women and the gay/transgender community; it has an adoring fan base, and it also attracts the same mocking and derision,” she explained.

Summing up, she said that the early days of Kylie’s rise to fame, when the singer had distinctive springy curly hair, were “analogous to the poppy-bright Sauvignon Blanc that Australia first fell in love with.”

As for the variety’s position today, like the modern Kylie, Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc has retained its appeal.

“At the end of the day, when you hit the dancefloor, who doesn’t like a bit of Kylie?” she asked.