New Zealand’s next step: Saddled with the popularity of Sauvignon Blanc, winemakers yearn for a challenge

Philippines wine supplier Manila wine shop discusses wine by the grape variety SAUVIGNON BLANC.

October 4, 2010

Blenheim, New Zealand — Anyone can identify the vines near the small town of Blenheim, New Zealand: This is Marlborough, famous among wine lovers for its zingy Sauvignon Blanc, and that grape hangs from nearly every vine. Fly into the area on the hopper flight from Wellington, and you see the tall Sauvignon Blanc vines shooting to the sky like whisk brooms pushed into the ground handle-first. Drive along the quiet country roads that ring most of the area’s wineries, and you’ll see vines closing in all sides. You can’t escape the grape; neither can the local wineries.

American wine drinkers fell hard for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in 1985, when Cloudy Bay first began exporting its wine. The lively, grassy, minerally wine, a perfect pairing for raw oysters and Pacific Rim cuisine, sprinted to cult status. The intense aromas and crisp acidity provided a predictable, easy-to-like flavor profile, and the production methods made it easy for industrial wineries to cash in. Suddenly, Marlborough was wine country. The few patches of grapevines, first brought to the area in 1973 by Montana Wines, exploded into a shag carpet of vineyards, pushing out the garlic that had been the region’s hallmark crop. And the world wanted more.

“We see demand constantly increase; it hasn’t slowed down,” says Chuck Hayward, wine buyer at San Francisco’s the Jug Shop, one of the country’s best sources for New Zealand wine. Growers know it, too.

“There’s a lot of laziness there; if growers plant Sauvignon Blanc, they know it will sell,” Hayward says. Though wine enthusiasts may have moved on to newer darlings such as Austrian Gruner Veltliner and Basque Txakoli, demand for Marlborough’s primary export remains strong among average drinkers.

Though New Zealand only accounts for 15 percent of U.S. sales of Sauvignon Blanc by volume, according to Nielsen Company data, its sales continue to expand, growing nearly 29 percent in the past year.

“Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t order Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, and interest and demand has remained consistent,” says Ken Wagstaff, wine buyer and sommelier at San Francisco’s Aqua restaurant.

This despite the fact that he doesn’t push it as a food wine: Its intense flavor overwhelms subtle dishes. And the style’s popularity has inspired competition from other New World wine regions ready to snatch Marlborough’s crown the moment that drinkers turn away.

Clive Dougall, the winemaker for Seresin Estate in Marlborough, sums up the dilemma: “It seems to me that the insatiable demand for Sauvignon Blanc has discouraged winemakers from trying to make a better Sauvignon with more complexity.” Marlborough is, perhaps, a victim of its own success.

Wine without complexity

Marlborough’s winemakers will often tell you off the record that they find “Sauvy” boring. Some are more direct about the industrial version: “I don’t personally care for it,” says Mike Weersing, owner of Pyramid Valley Vineyards, which makes Marlborough Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Semillon, and Pinot Noir, but no Sauvignon Blanc. He says the emphasis on intense aromatics, from variety to winemaking, creates a wine that gives plenty of aroma but no complexity. “It’s a parody of a real wine,” he notes via e-mail.

That’s why “boring” is a common descriptor for industrial Sauvignon Blanc: Growers push yields high, machines harvest the grapes efficiently and hydraulics tilt the grapes into the controlled guts of a stainless steel tank. Ferment the juice, check it occasionally, and you end up with the wine that everyone wants to buy. Winemakers don’t need to check clusters, manage barrels or handle the grapes delicately.

“In order to make a very aromatic, intense, commercial-style Sauvignon Blanc, machine harvesting is advantageous,” says Dougall via e-mail, whose Seresin Estate winery practices biodynamic farming and handpicks its grapes. Machine harvesting works “because some of those aromatics are released by an enzymatic reaction between the crushed berries and juice.” The grapes get squished, sloshing the skins and juice together.

And it costs less. Clive Jones, the winemaker for Nautilus Estate, says, “Handpicking is at least four times the cost of machine picking.” Barrels, he argues, double the cost of tank-based winemaking.

Jones sees the bright side of this simple winemaking. “I think Marlborough Sauvignon is exciting, seeing those vibrant flavors quickly transformed from grape to glass,” he says.

“Yes, it is relatively simple to make in the winery but the key is the picking decision … Winemakers spend more time walking up and down rows tasting grapes than hovering over pumps in the winery. Machine harvesting … allows us to react quickly and harvest larger quantities of grapes at the optimum time.” Besides, he says, “A focus on single or limited varieties works very well for Champagne and Burgundy so why not Marlborough?”

Source: http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-04-11/wine/17143467_1_cloudy-bay-sauvignon-blanc-new-zealand-s-next-step-wine-enthusiasts

Although wines are widely available in most Asian countries, especially in Hong Kong which has eliminated import tariff on wines altogether, the availability of fine vintage wines is still very scarce. Most wine merchants offer big names, young vintages and cheaper wines for everyday consumption. Wine lovers and connoisseurs looking for something special often travel to Clark Pampanga Philippines to do their shopping at this Wine Shop in Manila.

At Yats Wine Cellars we believe that a little bit of knowledge in wine goes a long way to developing expectations in the wines we choose to buy or drink. Without expectation, it is difficult to really enjoy wine to its fullest. With this in mind, efforts are made by Yats Wine Cellars to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible for our clients to learn more about wine.

Birthday wine gifts is one of the most popular birthday gifts to give someone living in the Philippines. Fine Vintage wine from Yats Wine Cellars is a sure winner and it does not have to cost a great deal to send someone a bottle in Philippines

To avail of wine catering service of Yats Wine Cellars, just contact this wine supplier in Manila or Angeles Clark Philippines for a meeting to design a theme for the event. The venue for a wine event can be in the privacy of a home, the convenience of an office in Manila for example or in a clubhouse of a subdivision. Wine glasses and accessories necessary for wine service are included in the wine catering service. Moreover, interesting wine notes accompany the wine to help participants enjoy the event even more by learning a little bit about wine while enjoying the party. A wine steward will be present to serve the wine.

There is also an exciting collection of white wine from Burgundy at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Meursault, Chablis, Chassagne Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne and St. Aubin. Red wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone are also available with a good depth of back vintages too. Visitors buy wine in Manila and Pampanga should not miss stopping at this wine shop for a few bottles of fine vintage wines to bring home.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

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