Marlborough sauvignon blanc has been one the great success stories of the wine world. So many of us have fallen in love with those lifted aromas, that racy fresh lime zest and succulent green fruits. But New Zealand has other regions that produce great wines, and other grape varieties too. This week, we feature four wines, including two sauvignons that offer something different.
O’Briens offers two sauvignon blancs made in other regions of New Zealand, including the Sherwood sauvignon from Waipara, below. You will be hard pushed to tell the difference between this and a Marlborough sauvignon.
Marlborough native John Forrest and his wife Brigid founded their winery in the late 1980s. She also practised as a GP; he has a background in neurophysiology. They have now been joined by their daughter Beth. They have been to the fore in promoting screw caps and are leading producers of lower alcohol wine.
Austrian Hermann Seifried and his New Zealand wife Agnes were among the very first to plant vines in Nelson, the sunniest place in New Zealand and now home to a number of very good family-owned wineries. Unsure which grapes would work best, they planted 14 different varieties.
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The Abstract Three Rows is a Marlborough sauvignon blanc, but not as we know it. The vineyard was dry farmed (without irrigation), very unusual in New Zealand, and wine fermented using wild yeasts before being aged in oak barrels and bottled. Blank Canvas is a highly regarded husband and wife team who each year make a series of small-batch, single vineyard wines.
Sherwood Estate 2024, Waipara Valley
13.5%, €19.99 down to €12.99
Lightly aromatic with plump fresh peach and asparagus fruits, refreshing lime zest and a dry finish. By itself, with cream cheeses and salads.
From O’Briens
Forrest Albariño 2023, Marlborough 2023
13%, €21-€24
A very attractive albariño full of plump yellow stone fruits and crisp refreshing citrus. Drink as an aperitif or with all kinds of shellfish.
From JNwine.com; Swans on the Green, Naas, Co Kildare, and in Grange Wine Merchants, Holywood and Donaghadee, Co Down
Aotea Cabernet Franc 2019, Seifried, Nelson
13.5%, €28
Maturing spicy dark fruits with a very attractive leafiness and light tannins on the finish. Enjoy with spicy pork dishes, or cacio e pepe.
From Wineonline.ie; Coopers bottle shop, Sutton Cross and Clontarf, Dublin; Drink Store, Dublin 7
Abstract Three Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Marlborough
13%, €36
A beautifully textured wine with succulent peaches, a touch of honey and a delicious salty minerality. Try it with scallops or prawns.
From Thomas Woodberry, Galway; Blackrock Cellar, Co Dublin; Drink Store
