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UK flooded with ‘soulless’ NZ Sauvignon
The UK wine market remains flooded with “soulless” New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc according to one of the key winemakers in Marlborough.
Marlborough
Speaking to the drinks business, Matt Patterson-Green, chief winemaker at Jackson Estate, said: “A lot of the New Zealand Sauvignon coming over to the UK and flooding the market in the lower to mid tier is soulless.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s technically correct, but it’s boring. It’s a flow on from the oversupply of 2008 where we went from not having enough wine to having too much.
“At that time a lot of fruit was harvested that shouldn’t have been, leading to an enormous volume of sub-standard NZ Sauvignon Blanc floating around.
“International companies would buy the wine in bulk and label it as Marlborough Sauvignon in order to trade off the brand strength when in reality it was blended and bottled in Australia and Germany.”
Patterson-Green aims to put Marlborough Pinot on the map with Gum Emperor
Patterson-Green told db that the wine glut also led to “a lot of cowboys entering the game at the bottom end, including doctors and lawyers who knew nothing about wine keen to make a quick buck.”
“Fortunately a lot of them have since left, but the New Zealand wine industry was on the brink of a shaky slope to disaster,” he said.
In a bid to distance himself and Jackson Estate from the sea of mediocre Sauvignon in the market, Patterson-Green shies away from making fruit bombs.
“I’m not interested in making pungent fruit bombs that taste like sucking on an acid drop – we don’t do recipe winemaking but instead celebrate vintage variation,” he said.
“At Jackson Estate I’m seeking tertiary aromas and more of an Old World style of Sauvignon from a New Zealand viewpoint,” he added.
As for the cork vs. screw cap argument, Patterson-Green is firmly in the screw cap camp. “We started bottling under screw cap in 2001. I recently tasted one of our 2001 Sauvignons bottled under cork and it tasted like an overblown Chardonnay.
“The 2001 SB under screw cap meanwhile, tasted fresh as a daisy and had wonderful aromas of gooseberry jam. It was still very much alive and recognisable as that wine,” he said.
Patterson-Green is also a trumpet blower for Marlborough Pinot Noir, with Pinot production at Jackson Estate having leapt from 4% to 15%.
“Marlborough Pinot is perceived as being a light, almost rosé-like red, but I want the region to be recognised as one of the best in the country for Pinot Noir,” he said.
“We need to break the mold and prove we’re more than just a one-trick pony. It’s starting to happen – there are some very smart Pinots and Chardonnays coming out of Marlborough now,” he added.
Elitist rubbish!. Disparaging remarks about the one generic Sauvignon that is truly dry, fresh, fruity and affordable do no good at all. Modern methods means that it can be bottled anywhere. If blended “off message” no one will repeat buy. Top end Sauvignon from anywhere is an occasional delight but can never be mainstream everyday drinking due to cost of production. Bravo to Malborough as a whole. Average consumers have no idea what tertiary aromas are.
At what point does an article go from being informative/insightful to an advertisement?
Mr PG
Not sure how long you have been in the industry, or how much of said wine sent to the uk you have actually tasted or sold, but my understand is everything is export approved before it leaves the shores of kiwi kiwi land.. so someone is approving it as not that crap at all.- maybe you should take aim at those approving it for export?
This kind of rubbish does make you sound quite ignorant of what goes on in the world of wine, and lacks respect to the New Zealand winemakers who worked hard to establish a sustainable market in the UK and elsewhere – who without the NZ wine industry really would be in the crap. Mass market Sauvignon has helped take New Zealand to the privileged position it is in today, and will enable you to sell your ‘Old World style of Sauvignon from a New Zealand viewpoint’ – now that is a load of marketing poppycock. Back in the cellar old boy, get that stainless steel clean, leave the market commentary to those who actually understand it.
AO
An unnecessary and petty last sentence there Alan. A shame as some points you make are valid, particularly about appreciating the importance of large volume Sauvignon Blanc to the wine industry here. However, the wine export certification is there to ensure that the wines are not faulty and that they are of acceptable quality; something that it achieves very well on the whole. Therefore ‘soulless’ sauvignon will happily pass. It isn’t there to dictate style. Perhaps you should truly understand that part of the industry before leaving such disparaging remarks.
Part of the appeal of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is it delivers a simple uncomplicated wine that consumers find delicious to drink. Sure there are variations of the style and some more complex or weighty versions being made which is great, but to accuse the general style of being ‘boring and soulless’ or ‘crap’ because it is simple to make is naive. In all wine regions quality wine is made from quality grapes and you get what you pay for. At Nautilus Estate we have made 30 vintages of ‘delicious, delightful and distinctive’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The region may have learned a lesson in 2008 (like we do every year) but we have moved on.
That’s one perspective, another perspective is that these wines help bring new consumers into the wine category which most would agree is a positive thing.
I’d add to and support your comments Clive, but with the international and possibly less Kiwi humble nature add the following. Marlborough Sauvignon has arguably the greatest sense of place of any wine on the planet. We should celebrate it. The old world certainly would. Soulless? Bullshit!!!
These comments show naivety at every level, are irresponsible and absolutely incorrect. Unfortunately he person concerned is not equipped with the experience or knowledge to make these huge accusations. Sadly they will merely serve to frustrate and infuriate the significant number of people who are in a far better position to comment and who have dedicated their lives to successfully ensuring their Marlborough wines have a strong sense of place. I could go on…..