| Cloud Kiwi Land
Why are so many great Sauvignon Blancs coming from New Zealand these days? And why is Cloudy Bay the name on everyone’s lips? Alice King investigates Twenty years ago, a mention of New Zealand would have made you think of lamb or butter. Today it conjures up images of crisp, dry white Sauvignon Blanc wines – from Marlborough in particular, and above all from Cloudy Bay. In the early seventies, Marlborough didn’t boast a single Sauvignon Blanc vine. Now the region accounts for some of the best Sauvignon Blancs in the world. Credit must go to the now world-famous Cloudy Bay, whose first vintage came to the UK as recently as 1986. Three years earlier, Australian wine-making entrepreneur David Hohnen had been astonished by his first taste of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. In 1984 he travelled to New Zealand and attended a wine show at which he was able to identify Marlborough as the region responsible for this remarkable wine. The next year he talked his financial backers into buying some land there. One year later, his second release of Cloudy Bay reached the UK and received a rapturous welcome from the media. A legend was born. Cloudy Bay not only produced stunning wines from their vineyards in the Rapaura and lower Brancott area within the Wairau Valley, but also managed to market their wines worldwide. Every year some 60,000 cases of the Sauvignon are produced, with the UK and Australia receiving the lion’s share. With a much cooler, more maritime-influenced climate than Australia, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is almost like a caricature of French Loire valley wines like Sancerre, made from the same grape. The soil and climatic conditions combine to produce really mouth-puckering dry whites, with over-the-top gooseberry-like aromas and flavours, and a hint of nettle thrown in. These wines rarely draw indifference – you either love them or hate them. The cult following that Cloudy Bay now enjoys is certainly deserved. Pale greeny gold in colour, it combines fresh basil and gooseberries with herbal and tropical mouth-watering flavours. A great aperitif, it is a wonderful partner to all sorts of fish and seafood dishes. If you’ve yet to try it – most vintages sell out pretty quickly, and the perceived status and exceptional popularity of the wine can make it hard to get hold of – look out for the 2000 vintage on trendy restaurant wine lists (expect to pay anything between £20 and £30 for the privilege) or look for it retail (around £11 to £12) from stockists such as Selfridges, Harrods, Robersons, Fortnum and Mason and Wimbledon Wine cellars. But if you can’t track down Cloudy Bay, don’t despair. The really exciting thing about New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs is that they are all pretty good. And many are almost half the price of Cloudy Bay. I recently put several to a taste test and was extremely impressed by the overall standard. You won’t be disappointed by any of the following:
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