It is one of the bestselling wines in this country and elsewhere around the globe too. The first sauvignon vines were planted in Marlborough in New Zealand by Montana (now Brancott Estate) in 1975. Few would have predicted that it would become such a success. Marlborough sauvignon now accounts for 78 per cent of New Zealand grape production and almost 90 per cent of exports. I sometimes wish consumers would try the other wines; New Zealand also produces great riesling, chardonnay, pinot gris, pinot noir, syrah and more besides. However, I can also see the attraction. Classic Kiwi sauvignon (it is grown elsewhere in New Zealand too) is aromatic, fresh and fruity, generally lowish in alcohol and unoaked. It can be drunk solo or with a wide variety of foods, including fish, salads, herby Asian foods, goat’s cheese, as well as vegetable gratins.
I decided to put New Zealand sauvignon to the test. There is no shortage of very good wines over €20 but how would the less expensive wines fare? I assembled 19 wines, all selling for less than €15 for my tasting. I tasted wines from pretty much all of the multiples, and most of the bestselling wines. Although I sought out New Zealand sauvignon in general, all bar one wine came from Marlborough, showing how dominant this area has become. Overall, the standard was consistently good; a few were a little sweet on the finish, and one seemed to be refermenting (when fermentation restarts). Otherwise, most were light, refreshing, crisp, aromatic, dry wines.
Below, I would also have liked to include a recent arrival, the Pure Island Sauvignon (€13.50 on promotion in Dunnes). The least expensive was Aldi’s Freeman’s Bay (€8.79), which sadly didn’t make my cut of four.
A richer style of sauvignon with textured exotic fruits – melons and passion fruit – and a nicely rounded finish.
One of our favourite Marlborough sauvignons. Reliable and consistent, it is made in an appealing style. Fresh, clean and crisp pear and blackcurrant fruits, with a lip-smacking dry finish.
Widely available including in SuperValu, Centra, Spar, Tesco, Dunnes, Aldi, Lidl, Molloys
Lightly aromatic with lovely ripe passionfruit and pears, balanced nicely by a zesty mineral acidity. Great value for money.
Classic Marlborough sauvignon with notes of mouth-watering lemon peel and ripe pineapple fruits with a good length. One to buy before the price increases.