Half A World Away
Have you noticed significantly more options for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc lately or is it actually something that seems totally normal to you? Or maybe it’s the only Sauvignon Blanc you’ve really noticed at all. This may even depend on how long you’ve been drinking for. Before, the standard of Sauvignon Blanc was found in France. New Zealand only recently took the American wine market by storm(mostly with their Sauvignon Blanc), but if you think Sauvignon Blanc is all they have to offer, you are greatly mistaken! Only within the last 30 years has New Zealand wine been offered in shops around America at all though so its magnificent to see how much praise it has been rewarded in such a short amount of time. To truly comprehend how this rapidly growing market for New Zealand’s wines is impacting the world of wine, you must first learn about the still blooming life and journey of the grape vines, the gorgeous landscapes that encapsulate the land, and the people who ventured to this incredibly diverse country.
Maori tribes first settled in New Zealand between 1200 and 1300 most likely coming from Polynesia. The first Europeans to arrive were Dutch and landed there in 1642. The journey of wine, however, began with Reverend Sam Marsden, a Christian missionary and the Chaplain of New South Wales, Australia, whom brought the first recorded grape vines to New Zealand and planted them in 1819. By 1830 the first documented wine produced was recorded by James Busby on Mission Estate. The wine was made from French and Spanish vines and was primarily used for religious purposes or family consumption, instead of as a means of income. In the 1860’s in Otago, the Gold Rush brought Croatian families to New Zealand to work in the mines, so years later many of these families were still sticking around Auckland and those that did, brought their previous wine skills from their own country. This helped to begin the establishment of more initially grown grape vines and interest in more wine production and the culture that comes with it.
A dramatic history begins as we look more closely at the natural and political events that unfold throughout the next 150+ years. While discovering New Zealand’s potential for more grape growing and wine production seemed like the next big thing, starting in 1885, Phylloxera (one of the most well-known threats and devastating forms of lice/aphids that is a major pest to vines) took over and wiped out almost all of the grapes in New Zealand. This left beer and cocktails to overtake the beverage industry.. And then between 1894 and 1908, 12 of the 76 districts voted to be dry of alcohol after trying to follow in America’s footsteps with prohibition. In 1917 a bar curfew of 6PM was set to help stop public alcohol consumption. Two years later 49.7% of the country voted in favor of national prohibition while waiting to see how America panned out, but not much more came of it. Finally in 1967, the curfew lifted, and soon after “cash crops” became trendy, and so began the wave of wine culture again. After, many thought it was wise to use this as a reason to plant grapes to profit off of. In 1973 the first new set of grapes were planted with the help of UC Davis’s advice in Marlborough using grafted stalks of vines that had an immunity against phylloxera. Here, the cool ocean air and long periods of sunshine is the perfect balance of climate for growing grapes. In the 1980’s the government funded many people to rip out old vines and put in Sauvignon Blanc. Soon after, in 1984, there was an outbreak of Phylloxera which was just another opportunity for people to rip out their old vines and put in the more profitable Sauvignon Blanc. In 1986, only 4,500 hectares of vines remained. But around this time is when the exportation of New Zealand wine’s began. Before this massive shift, the main grapes that were planted were Chenin Blanc, a French grape varietal, and Müller-Thurgau, which was often found in Austria, Germany, and England. Müller-Thurgau usually produced light, fruity, and slightly sweet wines as well as fortified wine. It was one quarter of the production of New Zealand wines until 1996. And, finally, the 90’s also brought wine into local grocery stores. As of 2021, New Zealand was 7th in wine exportations worldwide with $1.4 Billion worth shipped out, right behind the United States at $1.5 billion.
Although New Zealand’s natural wine trend didn’t take off as much as Australia’s did, the identity of their wine continues to follow in line with the regularly practiced aspect of life which is to love and take care of the environment. So, many of the winemakers use viticultural techniques for growing. You’ll notice most chose to use organic, sustainable, and/or even biodynamic agricultural practices. Organic meaning not using chemicals on the vines or in the soils. Sustainable meaning they use the land more efficiently. And lastly, biodynamic meaning- following a specific daily calendar (which focuses on the rhythm and cycles of the earth, moon, sun, stars, and planets) that integrates each and every part of the vineyard or farm to have a more successful grow and self sustainable lands without excess pollution or nutrient deficient crops by bringing together plants, animals, and soil.
Alternatively, even though most winemakers and producers choose to work in these ways, New Zealand does not have any rules, restrictions, or regulations on types of grapes allowed to be grown, harvesting styles, and minimum yields. In other words, they have the opportunity to manipulate the wine however they’d like in those regards, but the popular choice is to find the most refined grapes and locations and honor the land with respect. Other rules to follow are mostly having to do with labeling, including details like varietals, the vintage, and region. There are 10 regions total, and 42 sub-regions. All of which grow Sauvignon Blanc now. Most Noteworthy of the regions will be Marlborough, Hawkes Bay, and Central Otago.
The more favored wine regions tend to be in the Southern Island where the Southern Alps Mountain Range runs right down the middle of it, helping to create cool nights. The Southern Island tends to be cooler regardless because it is further from the equator and the second closest land mass to Antartica 3,100 miles away or about a 6 hour flight away. All of New Zealand is known to have a dry growing season due to long and strong periods of summer sun and a maritime climate. Earth’s elliptical orbit puts it closest to the sun in December and January and since they have tremendously clean air, the UV radiation has less pollution to filter through causing more radiation to reach the surface (and more severe sunburns) for up to 16 hours in a day. The angling of between 35 degrees and 47 degrees longitudinally helps capture that light especially for the majority of New Zealand’s vineyards which are on the eastern side of the island. Rainfall is plentiful everywhere and can be problematic for many reasons including, but not limited to, flooding, excess rain during ripening period, mildew, rot, botrytis, and excess vine growth which can detract from ripening of the grapes. Thankfully most of New Zealand’s wine regions have free-draining alluvial soils (loose clay, silt, sand or gravel deposited by streams of running water) that can help alleviate some of these problems. Local greywacke soil is also common, being made from a type of compressed sandstone. The Southern Alps also blocks most of the westerly winds coming from the Tasman Sea in the South Island, whereas the North Island has smaller mountains. If the grapes are grown on fertile flat surfaces, there is excessive shoot and leaf growth that prevents the grapes from reaching optimal ripeness. All of these aspects of New Zealand’s terroir play a sensitive but noteworthy role in their wine.
In Central Otago they have fine, dusty, calcium rich soil resulting from movement and melting of glaciers and Continental climates. The affects of glacial Lake Wanaka and some of it’s connecting rivers have a big impact on Central Otago’s climate. Autumns there are long and free of humidity. There are often times of frost in autumn and spring. There is a large diurnal range, which is a large span in temperature from night to morning. It is a similar climate to Alsace in north-eastern France, where some of my favorite pinot noirs come from. With that being said, Central Otago is most famous for its Pinot Noir. In fact, over 70% of the Central Otago region produces Pinot Noir. Pinot noir generally likes a cool to moderate climate and has an early budding and ripening period which makes Central Otago a great place to grow this grape. Because of the high in potassium and calcium rich granite soils, the pinot noir encompasses high acidity wine with smooth, round minerality.
Marlborough has 70% of all New Zealand vineyards. And 76% of all NZ white wine grapes is Sauvignon Blanc. While 85% of all NZ Sauvignon Blanc is coming from Marlborough. It’s average summer temperature is 73 degrees and has cool nights, a long, dry growing season with bright sun and again dry autumns. You can see vineyards like Cloudy Bay, Mount Riley, Loveblock, and Yealands all on the same road. Alongside those you can also find Matua which is coined on the fact that they are the first to produce Sauvignon Blanc. These vineyards, their soils, and the people who manage them is what makes up the entirety of New Zealand’s wine identity. This is what the world knows it as. Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blanc became a household standard in hundreds of thousands, if not millions of households around the world and to think that all has happened in just
Hawke’s Bay is the second largest wine region in New Zealand and started making wine in 1851. About 90% of New Zealand’s Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot is made here. But it is more well known for its Syrah, red blends, and chardonnay. The majority of the vineyards are most concentrated around Hastings and Napier shielded by the inland mountain ranges. It tends to be a drier, warm climate with 2150-2250 hours of sunlight in a year. The soils have low fertility and are high draining. The Esk, Tutaekuri, Ngaruroro, and Tukituki rivers moved these soils and boulders which formed valleys and terraces. They have clay loam, limestone, sand, free drain gravels, red metal, and greywacke. The movement from plate tectonics uprooted this specific type of soil and brought it to the surface. The climate and terroir is very similar to Medoc, Bordeaux and Valence, Rhone in France. Mission Estate, Te Mata Estate, Vidal Estate, McDonald Winery, Glendale Winery are vineyards from the area that were the pioneering drives that brought the craft of wine making to New Zealand and created an innovative wine region. Most of the wineries here produce less than 200,000 liters per year and are family owned which lends a hand to the crafty, more exclusive boutique-like culture they have, trying to rid the markets of corporate giants (much like what we focus on when bringing in wine to sell at Spencer & Lynn!)
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc stands out as being extremely distinctive comparatively to almost any other region that specializes in the varietal. Almost every single time there is a sauvignon blanc blind tasting, you will definitely know which country it comes from and no one can replicate it. It starts with the mouth watering acidity and creates a crisp and dry crunch to the texture. Flavors include lemon-grass, fresh cut grass, grapefruit, green bell pepper, lime leaf, passionfruit, and gooseberry. Whereas Bordeaux, which is a blended style of sauvignon blanc, is more oily in texture, less punchy in flavor and has less of the zesty, tingling acidity we get from New Zealand. Flavors from this wine include ginger, chamomile, honeysuckle, lemon curd, lime, limestone, grapefruit. Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, like ones from Sancerre or Pouilly Fume have a different set of descriptives. There they have limestone-rich soils where the cool climate ripens grapes earlier. From that we get flavors of aloe, basil, tetragonal, honeysuckle, wet stones, and ground up seashell-like minerality. California’s has less flinty and less earthy flavors and brings to the table more citrus and tropical fruit essences. Their Sauvignon Blanc is not so much intense as it is a relaxed version of the grape varietal. The minerality and acidity is much more toned down in the California style ones and, typical of California wines, focuses on the friendly fruit qualities.
Overall, we know some amazing wine is starting to show up in American markets and has already started making a name for itself from New Zealand and there’s no doubt that it will get better and more abundant over the next couple of years as long as they continue at the pace they’re at and the climates don’t change drastically. Look out for more wines coming out of New Zealand particularly if you enjoy bright, fresh, acid forward but balanced styles. Although their world class Sauvignon Blanc has the spotlight at the moment, keep an eye out for Pinot Noirs and sparkling options. There are also plenty of Bordeaux-style Chardonnay blends, Syrahs (A.K.A. Shiraz), and classically more aromatic varietals like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and even Albariño popping up.
– Ashley