Editorial: Happy accidents and hard graft

The first happy accident was in the early 1970s, when Ross and Bill Spence took propogation wood from three Sauvignon Blanc vines in a Department of Agriculture block, just weeks before it was destroyed.

In 1975, Montana planted its first Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough, and over the next two decades the region recognised a serendipity of soils and climate that meant it could grow Sauvignon Blanc like nowhere else.

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. “A wine that took the whole concept of green and expanded it, stretched it and pummelled it, and gloriously reinterpreted it on a riot of gooseberry and lime zest, green apples, green pepper, sliced through with an ice-cold knife of steel.”

Alongside the good luck of having the right variety in the right place at the right time, there’s a story of collegiality, and of the viticulturists, winemakers and scientists who made the most of good fortune, said Marlborough wine pioneer Ivan Sutherland at the workshop, where he joined winemaker Jules Taylor in navigating Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blanc journey.

“One could say it’s all by chance, it’s by research, it’s by opportunity. But most of all it’s the pioneering belief and spirit associated with that.”

Read More:

• Editorial: Marlborough's viticulture evolution
• Editorial: New Zealand wine punches above its weight
• Editorial: Dark clouds and silver linings

In this edition, one year out from Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand 2027, we talk to winemakers from around the country about evolving styles, subregional and regional nuances, and protecting the reputation of the variety at the heart of New Zealand wine’s success.

“We should be really f***ing proud of awesome Sauvignon Blanc,” says winemaker Richard Ellis. “I think it starts with inspiring local winemakers to see just how great this variety can be.”

Sophie Preece

Editor