Fashion victim: Sauvignon Blanc
Robert Mondavi’s I Block of Sauvignon Blanc, planted in the 1940s, in the heart of To Kalon
The popularity predicament – investigating the world’s most divisive grape, and why it shouldn’t be dismissed
Ask my friends outside the wine trade what they drink, and the almost universal answer is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Ask almost anyone in the wine trade which wine they dislike the most, and they’ll say Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
Why do people love it? Why do others loathe it? The grape’s distinctive, herbaceous profile becomes more exuberant in Marlborough – the region’s sunny climate creating lush passionfruit and even mango that complements its herbal, grassy tones. But what makes it so appealingly familiar to many consumers is what seems to put wine snobs off.
Wine geeks love to have the inside track, to be the first to know about a grape, style or producer. We may not admit it openly, but we don’t want everyone to know about the wines we love. Sauvignon Blanc shamelessly denies to be mysterious – but while it risks becoming a caricature of itself, it can also produce thrilling, flinty styles, the taut and waxy wines of Bordeaux, and skin-contact styles where the tannins playfully counter its generous aromatics.
I spent time recently talking to wine-producers and growers all about the grape – from the challenges in the vineyard, to how people work it in the winery, and the evolution of this staple variety.
