Celebrating Sauvignon: NZ Sauvignon Blanc’s Next Evolution Unfolds

Growing an Icon

It’s time to be “loud and proud” of New Zealand’s flagship variety, says winemaker Natalie Christensen, Chair of Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2027. “To make sure we really stamp our mark on being an icon country for the production of Sauvignon Blanc. And to band together as producers, all collectively proud of the incredible expression that we create from New Zealand.”

It’s an ethos at the heart of the event, to be held in Marlborough in February next year, with a committee clamouring to share a more complex Sauvignon story, including regional and subregional nuances, bespoke site selection and winemaking, and evolving classic and alternative styles. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has an extraordinary story of serendipity and success, they say. And its future could be even more exciting.

Unapologetically Sauvignon

“We should be really f***ing proud of awesome Sauvignon Blanc.” It’s not the tagline of Sauvignon NZ27, but The Marlborist Winemaker Richard Ellis reckons it’s pretty apt. “I think it starts with inspiring local winemakers to see just how great this variety can be.”

Richard has long been a Sauvignon champion, but attending the Sauvignon Blanc Boot Camp at the Nelson Lakes late last year dialled up his excitement. “To see a room of 30 to 40 winemakers and viticultutrists so pumped about trying a 10-year-old flight of Marlborough classic Sauvignon Blanc, and how fantastic those wines looked, along with the alternative or contemporary styles and the international wines. It was a real shot in the arm for just how freaking awesome this variety can be,” he says.

Richard, who is part of the subcommittee working on the Sauvignon NZ27 programme, recalls his first experience of Sauvignon Blanc as a teenager, out for a meal with his parents. He ordered a Church Road Sauvignon Blanc and was struck by how “bright and aromatic and beautiful” it was. A few decades on, after seven years at Greywacke, the launch of The Marlborist with two friends in 2020, and a Sauvignon-enlightening vintage in Sancerre in 2023, Richard is certain of Marlborough’s potential to take Sauvignon from great to exceptional. “Yes, there are challenging times at the moment, but the future, as I see it, is in moving from Marlborough as a regional style to subregional to single site to soil-specific Sauvignons.” If producers focus on high quality, with yields in check, “the future is still really bright,” he says. “As long as we push a quality story.”

When Richard and viticulturist Stuart Dudley launched The Marlborist in 2020, they were focused on cherry picking the best blocks for each variety and style. They looked to the heavier soils of the Southern Valleys for their Grande Sauvignon, made from low yielding hand-picked fruit, wild fermented in French oak puncheons. This season they will make the Grande a site- or subregion-specific wine, allowing them to create a second Sauvignon Blanc, says Richard, noting the less crowded category for ‘contemporary’ styles. “There’s a real interest in high quality Sauvignon Blanc that’s made with care and love and has a story to tell.” Recognising the importance of the typical style as well, Richard and Stuart machine harvest on the Wairau Plain for Alpine Rift, a sister label devoted to classic Sauvignon Blanc, though leaning towards more “ripe, subtle restraint” than punchy high-acid wines.

Treating Sauvignon as a hero will require a change of mindset for those who are likely to shelve their Sauvignon when going to a party, and pull out a Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc, “or something a little bit cool and quirky” instead. But it’s time, Richard says, to be “unapologetically proud” of the variety that New Zealand wine is known for. “We should love and hero worship Sauvignon and not be ashamed about it.”

Stellar Sauvignon Success

Montana planted its first Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough in 1975, and over the next two decades vineyards started spreading across the landscape, growing wines like nowhere else in the world. The wines went on to astonish esteemed commentators like Oz Clarke in the United Kingdom, who – speaking at the inaugural International Sauvignon Blanc Celebration in Marlborough in 2016 – recalled tasting his first Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in the 1980s. “There had never before been a wine that crackled and spat its flavours at you from the glass,” he said. “My world of wine would never be the same again.”

A happy accident of soil, climate, variety, timing and pioneering spirit transformed the region, and there’s no doubt these days that Marlborough’s lifeblood runs Sauvignon Blanc, with 25,468 producing hectares of the variety in 2025, according to the New Zealand Winegrowers Vineyard Register. That’s more than 83% of Marlborough’s total producing vineyard area, 60% of New Zealand’s producing area, and nearly 89% of the country’s Sauvignon Blanc vineyard. But it’s not the only region building a name for Sauvignon.

Discovering the Diversity

The Wairarapa had a little under 500ha of producing Sauvignon vineyard in 2025, according to the Vineyard Register.
But Craggy Range Winemaker Ben Tombs says the region is growing its Sauvignon footprint and reputation. With a couple of 100-hectare developments going in now, “the identity of Sauvignon Blanc in Wairarapa is only going to become more and more important”, he says. “It’s only just starting, which is quite unique.”

The wines are naturally different to their South Island kin, with a more saline character and lighter tropical touch. “They’re a bit more quiet,” Ben says. “And we have a lot of wind, so the canopies are quite a lot smaller than in Marlborough too.” Wairarapa Sauvignon Blanc has its own identity, offering producers opportunity to focus on quality, and tell a unique story to the global audience, he says. There are plenty of people keen to see alternative styles of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, he adds. “The market is there.”

Craggy Range has a little under 200ha of Sauvignon Blanc over two Martinborough vineyards, with a few more blocks due to yield fruit this vintage. They’ve no plans to expand their holdings in the variety, but are continuing to evolve their style. That includes working with plantings from the early 2000s, and focusing on “elevating” their Sauvignon wines, Ben says. “We’ve got some material that has a lot of character, and there’s so much scope to really push the boundaries of that premium side of Sauvignon Blanc.”

For the past two years Craggy Range has been working to create a Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc for its Prestige Collection, homing in on two specific parcels with vine age and unique soil, and farming them at a high level, with very modest yields. Then it’s up to the winemakers to harness the fruit, trialling amphora, large format oak, and long élevage without sulphur, to ensure they find a wine that retains its character long after its release. “We’re on the precipice,” says Ben.

He’s on the programming subcommittee of Sauvignon NZ27, and says the plan is for fun and exploration, including the “exciting” diversity of Sauvignon, whether that be the unique terroir and stories of Central Otago, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa, the subregional nuances of Marlborough, or the winemaking being used to evolve the styles. “As a winemaker and a grower, the discovery is endless,” he says. “That’s what makes it exciting.”

Sauvignon in the Support Role

Sauvignon NZ27 “couldn’t come at a better time”, says Amisfield Winemaker Ben Leen from Central Otago. “There’s so much enthusiasm from the committee and with what we’ve got planned, it’s going to be an epic conference.”\

Central Otago has just 50ha of Sauvignon Blanc plantings, with around 44ha of that producing. But it’s been a key part of the Amisfield portfolio since the beginning, thanks to the company’s first winemaker, Jeff Sinnott, returning from California with plans to plant Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc for a bolder, richer, barrel aged style. “We’re just grateful that he’d made that decision,” Ben says 25 years on, talking of the concentration of flavour from Central Otago’s naturally lower yielding vines, with a profile so different to a typical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. “When I think of Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc I think of passionfruit pulp, elderflower, and even tropical, mango and guava type flavours.”

The quantities are far smaller than for Pinot Noir at Amisfield, but Sauvignon Blanc plays a “great support role, particularly in export markets”. In places like America, where the story of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is so strong, it can be key to getting a new account over the line. “Then we try and wow them even further, with the Pinot Noir.” Fewer than 10 growers are growing Sauvignon Blanc in the region, and for all of them it plays that attention-grabbing supporting role, Ben says. “And the supporting actress can be just as important as the lead.”

Sauvignon NZ27 will show the breadth of Sauvignon, including the expression from Central Otago’s desert-like terroir, the subregional exploration of Marlborough, and the influence of winemakers, including fermenting in oak, concrete and other vessels, Ben says. “Hopefully we’re coming out of this era where Sauvignon Blanc is just this one type of wine. It’s a pretty exciting prospect – the next deep dive into Sauvignon Blanc.”

Better Than Ever at 50

Fifty years after Montana planted its first Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough, Vinarchy’s head of winery operations in Marlborough, Laura Kate Morgan, says it’s time to celebrate New Zealand’s “hero” variety. “Sauvignon has been a really important part of our journey since 1975, when the first Sauvignon vines got planted here at Brancott Vineyard.” In the five decades since, the company (in several ownership iterations) has learned about vineyard sites, winemaking and styles, showcasing an ever-evolving Sauvignon Blanc to the world. It’s remained “distinctly New Zealand and vibrant” but has improved with industry age, Laura Kate says. “What really excites me is not only how refined we’re getting in terms of our winemaking and our growing and our site selection, but also our diversification into different styles. We are no longer a one trick pony with the variety.

Sauvignon Blanc “could have a seat at the table at any occasion”, she adds. It’s just about finding the right fit of producer, vineyard, or style. “I want to tell that story more”. She loves to show people the Brancott or Stoneleigh classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc styles during the day, then follow up with a glass of Chosen Rows – Brancott’s high end, wild fermented, “age worthy” Sauvignon Blanc – over dinner. The wine is a lot more savoury, with notes of truffle and oyster shell, and pairs well with a meal. The first Chosen Rows was the 2010 vintage, released in 2013,and it remains one of Kate’s favourite wines under the label. “You’re opening it now, 16 years on, and it’s fresh, it’s banging, and it’s got a point of difference, but it’s still distinctly Sauvignon.”

The evolution that excites her the most is how distinctive every Marlborough subregion is for Sauvignon Blanc. When she started in the industry, different expressions were found in the regional blends, “depending on which producer you tried”. These days winemakers reference specifics like Rapaura Road, Dillons Point or Awatere Sauvignon, and delve into bespoke site selections, with carefully considered planting decisions. “I think that’s the bit that’s really starting to intrigue me as a winemaker; digging a little bit deeper and seeing how these sites express these wines.”

The conference will celebrate all styles of Sauvignon, from entry level to classic examples to single vineyard barrel ferments, says Greywacke Winemaker Richelle Tyney, who is also on the committee. The industry needs a spectrum of offerings to appeal to a range of palate and price points. But in all cases, it’s about taking extra time and effort “to make sure the Sauvignon that we put in the bottle is singing”, she says. “We have to make sure that we are making the best Sauvignon and putting our name on it.”

She has seen a shift in the way winemakers talk about Sauvignon, and particularly since the Boot Camp. “Everyone was just so pumped. And it was awesome to see, because Sauvignon is such an important part of our success story. It’s what we hang our hats on, and we need to be getting super excited about it.”

Growing Up with Sauvignon

Marlborough’s vineyard expansion over the past 40 years has been “eye watering”, says Dog Point Vineyard Winemaker Murray Cook. “I’m sure the producers back in the 80s and 90s never could have seen the growth that we’ve seen over the last 20 years.”

In the 1980s there were just a few hundred hectares of producing vineyard in Marlborough, growing to 23,452ha by 2015, with 78% of them in Sauvignon Blanc. By 2020 there were 27,808ha (80% Sauvignon), climbing to 30,469ha in 2025 (83% of it in Sauvignon). It’s a growth driven by stellar global demand for Sauvignon Blanc, which had barely hit a speed wobble until last year, when a large 2025 vintage, global oversupply and declining alcohol consumption proved a wake-up call.

Murray says there’s been a maturing of the industry over recent years, with a growing chasm between bespoke wines and more entry level examples from high quantity producers. “You see that in other regions around the world as they grow and become successful. You’ll always have those people that have been here a long time and are heavily invested. And you’ll have the newcomers to it as well,” Murray says. “I think all aspects of the industry currently do offer something to a consumer, which at the end of the day, is what it’s all about.”

But it’s vital to maintain the region’s reputation throughout such rapid expansion, “and really make sure that quality remains a key focus for everyone”, Murray says. “I think that’s where the Sauvignon celebration comes into it,” he adds, looking forward to catching up with international guests and New Zealand producers, while showcasing quality Sauvignon Blanc from producers throughout the country.

As with the rest of Marlborough, the variety takes up the lion’s share of Dog Point’s portfolio, with 80% in classic Sauvignon Blanc from their Wairau Valley vineyards. Another 5% comes from Section 94, a wine made from handpicked fruit from a single vineyard, planted in 1992, whole bunch pressed and fermented and aged in older French oak barrels.

There are strong expectations of what a Marlborough Sauvignon will be, but there’s plenty of scope to challenge the classic concept, Murray says. “For me, freshness is key, but elements of complexity can start to come in beyond the pure fruit driven styles. There’s so much fruit in Sauvignon Blanc, especially from Marlborough, that there is room to play in terms of bringing other elements to the wine.”

Opportunity in Adversity

The 2026 vintage is an opportunity to “really see what Sauvignon can do”, says Natalie Christensen, Yealands Winemaker and recipient of the White Winemaker of the Year trophy at the 2023 International Wine Challenge. “We know wineries are capping yields this year, and that’s going to mean smaller amounts of better wine across the board.”

Marlborough has to put its best foot forward to maintain its extraordinary success, she says. “We need to do that through quality and consistency, and also by pushing the boundaries; trying some new styles, digging down into subregions, and making sure we’re really delivering to the world the very best of what this region can do.”

The current oversupply has taken its toll, with volumes up but value down, and a dropping price per litre for Sauvignon, Natalie adds. “Even though the export statistics show growing volume heading offshore, the industry needs to look at protecting and elevating our price point.”

She notes a growing focus on Sauvignon Blanc plantings internationally, with producers tapping into the demand for bright fresh whites. “So we’ve got to be even more protective now than ever of our Sauvignon Blanc position.” Brand New Zealand is strong globally, and people think of “a clean, green, little island nation on the other side of the world punching above its weight”, Natalie says. “We can’t take that for granted. We’ve got a lot going for ourselves as a wine producing country, and we just need to protect and enhance that.”

The challenges and opportunities make the timing perfect for Sauvignon NZ27, she says, eager to see attendees immersed, educated and invigorated about how good the variety can be when grown in New Zealand. Natalie summed it up in the lead up to the 2025 Sauvignon Blanc Boot Camp, of which she was chair. “With careful viticulture and thoughtful winemaking, we can make some of the most iconic Sauvignon Blanc in the world.”