All right then good evening Um well evening in london uh i think Different times When the various locations that you guys Are joining from today Uh welcome to the next in our series of Lockdown webinars my name is julia Lambeth I’m one of the educators at wct school London And this evening i’m going to be talking To you about Serving your blog uh For people that have been joining our Webinars for a while you may have seen Some of our other variety in focus Uh series i think i can call it so we’ve Talked about Um some of the other international Varieties pinot noir cabernet sauvignon Riesling um so Tonight is the turn of the lovely Sauvignon So i can see that several of you are Drinking some sauvignon As you are watching this so i do hope That you enjoy it If you feel like popping in a little Tasting note into the chat later on Do feel free to Um so starting from the beginning with Sonja blanc Um just wanted to have a little overall Introduction to it have a think about
Um some general descriptions and the First thing that comes to My mind when i talk about sauvignon Blanc and i don’t know if it’ll be the Same with you Is that it’s just a very popular great Variety Um it’s it’s been popular for many years It’s been popular ever since i started In the wine trade and it looks like that Popularity is not diminishing And when i say popular i mean that it’s Um it’s widely sold widely planted Consumers enjoy it um In terms of the uk market in particular A yougov poll that was done last year Revealed that is the most Popular style of wine among uk drinkers And i should clarify that with style of Mine there it was Talking about sort of dry refreshing White wines so it’s not just sauvignon Blanc that was in that category Um it was encompassed with other Varieties like pinot grigio and whatnot Um but i still think that’s um that’s a Pretty impressive sign Um sauvignon blanc seemed to really Um reach its popularity in the 80s and 90s it came about Sort of after the age of chardonnay Chardonnay was very popular for a long Time Particularly those oaky chardonnays um
And then it seemed there was a bit of a A shift in attitudes people uh wanted Something that had a little bit more Freshness to it a little bit more Lightness to it And sodium blanc provided that and Typically It doesn’t see much oak aging so it’s a Real contrast with its Kind of fresh herbaceous aromatic Characteristics That people really enjoyed and have Continued To enjoy ever since Um it’s an interesting one because i Think in the wine trade sometimes It gets a little bit overlooked maybe It’s not seen as having the same Complexity as some other varieties Typically it doesn’t have the same Aging potential as other varieties which May also be A reason so i think often it gets a bit Sort of Maybe put to the side oh you know sodium Block yeah sure um But it is a variety that has a lot of Potential Makes lots of very high quality wines And i put their very expressive wines as Well So i saw in the chat earlier some of you Were uh tasting some wines from sansei Uh and i think many would agree that
Sunset The sauvignon blanc in sunset does have An expressiveness it has a quality to it That you don’t get from someone say Grown in other places Likewise sodium blanc from new zealand Has a more distinct characteristic to it A greater vibrancy to it That means that when you taste a white a Sodium block from new zealand It gives you that sense of place So yeah it it’s got a lot going for it And then at the bottom i put capable of A variety of styles Um so for sophia blanc i think We would mostly associate sauvignon Blanc with Um wines that are dry unoaked Have a variety of herbaceous herbaceous Flavours but can be quite Delicate whereas it can do other things As well We’ll talk later about sodium blanc Thick there is oak aged there are Several places that are making oak h Sauvignon blanc Uh we can also get sweet wines made from Sauvignon blanc as well Uh you can even get sparkling wines made From sauvignon blanc too So it’s it’s got a few few little tricks Up its sleeve if you like um so maybe it Deserves a little bit more Respect perhaps for its um variety than
What it’s sometimes given So let’s just have a little think about Some of the characteristics of sauvignon Blanc as a great variety So it is a grape that’s suited to Cool or moderate climates um and this is Because If you do grow anywhere that’s that’s Warm it can Lose its delica herbaceous Characteristics Those grassy green pepper notes that are One of the things that many people look For in a sauvignon blanc Um will will just fade away so it can End up being more simple But if you stick to somewhere that is More cool or moderate then you retain Those vibrant characteristics Um so when we look at some of the Countries around the world later where It’s produced we’ll think about some of Our and Warmer climate countries uh it has taken A bit of time to get the right Combination of Location uh for sauvignon blanc it needs To be somewhere that is More moderate that has some sort of Moderating influence That means that it’s allowed to ripen More slowly and maintain these This variety of characteristics It is also a vigorous great variety
So vigorous here we’re thinking about a Lot of um Leaf growth so this can Have a negative impact on the Fruit ripening so it’s not necessarily Seen It’s not really seen as a good thing so It’s um One of the characteristics of the Variety that does have to be managed But there’s a few different ways we can Do that uh planting on poor soils Is one way um if you’ve done much study With us you’ll know Probably that in general when we talk About growing grapes We often don’t put them on soils that Are too fertile Because this can encourage more vigorous Growth in in many varieties So often we’re thinking about poorer Soils with with just enough Access to nutrients that the vine can Survive Other options for soaking your blanks Can be things like the root stocks So you’ll know that many vines these Days are grafted Often when we talk about grafting we Talk about it in the context of Phylloxera but there are many many Reasons why you may use different root Stocks For your great variety uh it could be to
Do with other pests it could be to do With soil types And and here with soap and blood it Might be to do um With just controlling that bigger a Little bit better And then the other option is pruning you Know if you just cut cut some of that Growth back Uh it’s a little bit more manual but That’s also going to have the Desired effect um and the last point Down there Is that it’s susceptible to a couple of Vineyard diseases So powdery mildew and black rot are Not things that you want on your grapes And If the grapes do get affected by them it Means that they They would have to be discarded you Won’t be able to use them and so the Point there on irregular Irregular yields just means that from Year to year Depending on the proportion of your crop That was affected by These diseases would mean that you might Have more or less grapes And then that’s going to have an impact Overall on the on the wine that you make On the amount of wine that you make of Course So uh when you’re you’re trying to run a
Wine business You do want things to have um as much Similarity year to year as possible So uh it’s not ideal I wanted to talk a little bit about Aroma compounds In sauvignon blanc so i’ve mentioned a Couple of times already And i’m sure i will continue to do so About the herbaceous characteristics of Sauvignon blanc It’s an aromatic grape variety we use The word Aromatic to describe wines where they Have Aromas that are more than fruits so this Could be things like Green pepper vegetables grass or flowers Or other things as well So other great varieties that are Aromatic like um Riesling or converts tremendous muscat There’s loads of them Um but with sauvignon blanc we can Actually sort of Dial down into some of the aroma Compounds that are present In the grapes to understand where these Aromas come from So often it’s due the grapes potentially The yeast potentially the combination Of the two of them and what we can see Is that certain Um certain chemical compounds have
Associations With particular aromas that we like in Sauvignon blanc So you can see here methoxypyrazines Are what gives the wine that particular Herbaceous characteristic Often we’ll describe green pepper maybe Asparagus Grass nettles peas there’s all sorts of Things that you might be able to find It’s the same compound that we find in Um cabernet sauvignon And cabernet franc and khameneia that Gives us again those similar Green pepper or grassy characteristics So it’s quite distinctive and i think It’s either something that you love or Hate you know if you like sedna blanc You probably like it because you expect Some of these aromas If you don’t like sodium blanc it’s Probably because you’re not such a fan Of these aromas Um and it is something that you know Is likely to be there in most wines However different wines will have Different amounts of it It’s a compound that decreases in the Grape with sunlight So in areas that are more sunny you’re Less likely to see These herbaceous characteristics um This does not mean that we won’t find Them in
Wines from more sunny climates and what It means is that we’ll just have to Find more protected areas to grow these Grapes Or provide a canopy and create a canopy That provides greater shade If we want to keep more of these Compounds in the final wine I’ve got a couple of other compounds to Mention here as well So thials are also quite popular in Sauvignon blanc this is what can Contribute to the Passion fruit or grapefruit or boxwood Aromas Um now i will admit i copied that from a Book i’m not entirely sure what boxwood Smells like but But there you go some of you will know Um And so again this is something that Contributes to that kind of Intensity of aroma in sauvignon blanc Reading an article about this in Preparation Um there was a theory That we get more thials in sauvignon Blanc grapes that are machine Harvested compared to hand harvested There’d been a research project Um and this had been the result But no one could really explain why so That’s why the little question mark at The end it’s something
That at the moment i guess is more of a Correlation uh but there’ll be an Interesting thing to find more about in The future How does harvesting technique affect Aroma compounds In sauvignon blanc i don’t know if There’s any Potential mw students out there i’ll Leave that one down to you Um and then the final category of Compounds here we’ve got the mono Terpenes So this is where we get more of the Floral characteristics the perfume Tropical fruit And this you’ll also find in great Varieties like Gabert’s tramina or muscat if you’re Familiar with those great varieties you Know that they often do have this more Pronounced floral And tropical characteristic so we find Those to a greater extent in those Varieties where in sauvignon blanc it Tends to be to a slightly lesser extent But does still contribute to the overall Style And it’s just an interesting thing to Consider it’s something that seems to be Discussed with Sauvignon blanc more than some of the Other varieties that we’ve looked at Um but there’s there’s lots of reading
Out there if you’re interested In understanding more about compounds And I’ll i can i can recommend some books at The end if you like So let’s have a little think about the History of sauvignon blanc i always like To try and find a little bit about Where the great variety has come from And normally it’s not a very clear Picture because they’ve been around for Hundreds of years And that’s definitely the case with Sauvignon blanc So the origin where it’s from is debated Uh some people figure bordeaux other People would say loia valley And i’m not sure we’re going to get a Clear consensus On that one but france yeah i think we Can all agree on that Evidence for the great variety goes back To the 16th century so it has indeed Been around For a while um even though as i said its Popularity is really only in the last Couple of decades The name name seven blanc comes from the Word sauvage meaning Wild um and the word uh blanc meaning White Um so apparently it’s wild it looks like A wild vine in terms of how Its leaves grow and maybe that’s
Connected to the vigor that we talked About previously Um wild white i think that’s a better Name for it actually Anyway it has a couple of synonyms Um in the loire valley it’s also known As blankfume And particularly around poifume and then In california It was known as former black so this was A term Uh term coined by robert mondavi In the 1960s uh blanc was particularly Associated with california Where often it was used for oak aged Wines And this has always made sense to me Because the word fume means smoky We know that with oak we can get smoky Flavours so it’s a smoky white wine it’s An Oak aged white wine um but then there Are also some examples of humay blanc Which are Not oak aged so um it’s a term In my experience that is not quite so Widely used Now as it was a couple of decades ago But you can still find it If you go looking for it Um and the rest of the information here Is largely Um about sodium blobs family um In terms of different grape varieties it
Seems to have quite a lot of relations Uh it is the parent of cabernet Sauvignon Along with cabernet franc so the theory Is that this was a Natural cross-fertilization that took Place In the 18th century in bordeaux probably Um so cabernet sauvignon was created by This uh cross fertilization of sauvignon Blanc and cabernet franc which is why It’s got part of the two names Um and for a lot of people this seems to Increase the standing of sauvignon blanc In their reputation Oh it created cabernet sauvignon oh it Must be a good great variety I don’t know why it’s like i like Knowing someone’s related to the royal Family Oh they’re more important i like them More now um i don’t know Uh so yeah parents are cabernet Sauvignon Uh potentially a child of sevium sibling Or shenan blanc somehow related to Semion So it’s um yeah genetically kind of Mixed in with quite a few of the other Varieties Um but despite all that it it does have Really distinct characteristics there’s Not any of these varieties that you’d Really
Um liken it to in terms of style And then as i’ve mentioned already it’s Commercial success um Has been much more recent or it’s Widespread commercial success should i Say And there’ll be many people who will Argue that the wines from Some of the french regions have been Popular for many many years before that So i’ve had a little bit of a mention of Wine styles Already but just to come back to that so Most of the time we’re making wines that Are dry And mostly we’re looking at single Varietal wines wines that are Unoaked and wines that are designed to Be drunk Young and fresh but then occasionally We will look at wines that are blended Semion is a popular blending partner for Sauvignon which we’ll come to when we Talk about Bordeaux shortly and then these wines Are often oak aged and then bottle aged So you can get um two extreme opposites In terms of style from the great variety And i think those oak aged sauvignon Blancs Are a really interesting prospect and For the french examples um yeah the Bordeaux example is often because it’s Not what you expect
But then we’ll see around the world now People are experimenting more with Different ways of making sauvignon blanc How can we add complexity And texture and richness to this wine To make it appealing to a wider array of Consumers And ensure that it keeps on being Popular As the years roll by um And we’ll look a little bit more at Particular wine making options in a Second Sweet wines of course so it’s one of the Great varieties that is used in so turn One of the more famous sweet wines from Around the world Um it’s normally not the majority of the Blend there But it can make sweet wines in its own Right i’ve had Lake harvest sauvignon blanc i’ve had Noble rots sodium blanc in the past Single varietal wines um and they do Tend to Accentuate this sort of tropical Characteristic In the wines um and then i’ve put Sparkling Question mark um largely because this Was A thing that i remember seeing a few Years ago of um Of sparkling sauvignon blanc which often
Was just force carbonated So it seemed to come from an idea that People like sauvignon blanc People like sparkling wines let’s make a Sparkling sodium log Um and they were okay they were not The most exciting ones in the world um I’m sure a few of them exist and i’m Actually i’m sure a few better wines Exist as well Uh some tank for uh method sparking wine Production too For some better quality examples um but Typically it’s not going to be A great variety that’s suited to Traditional method um Once again because it’s about those Aromatic characteristics That we typically enjoy which could be a Little bit muted If you were to put the wine under Extended autolysis So here just to go into a little more Uh detail on some winemaking techniques So as i’ve said already it’s often Single varietal but can be blended We talk about semion most commonly as The great variety that it’s blended with But around the world you’ll find all Sorts of different varieties will be Blended with it Um often other aromatic varieties Although i have seen Sauvignon blanc and chardonnay blends
Which are Interesting quite two different styles There When it comes to fermentation we have Options for Wild versus inoculated yeast often For the more premium examples wild yeast Will be used These can add more complexity more More flavors and aromas to the wine Inoculated use Will not have the capacity to do that But will have a more predictable result Um so when we’re thinking about perhaps The more commercial end of sauvignon Blanc production Where um it is a wine made for a certain Style At a certain price point in many cases Uh inoculated yeast can be much more Useful here to get the predicted result That we want In terms of fermentation typically we’ll Be looking at Fermentation in stainless steel often at A cool temperature So protective fermentation there is what I mean when we’re looking at um Steel used with a limited amount of Oxygen exposure This means again that we just keep more Of those um Primary characteristics keep that Brighter
Fruit character whereas oxidative Fermentation would then be talking about Potentially fermentation in oak or Elsewhere An open top vessel which would allow More oxygen contact Uh with the wines it’s fermenting and That’s gonna create Um a different style um here you might See Some more sort of savory or nutty Characteristics develop instead Um and as you can imagine that’s that’s Quite at odds With the style of sauvignon blanc that We’ve described That most people like so far so it’s not Necessarily that common Um for maturation um Again it can take place in in steel Where we would then Just see that um the the Primary characteristics retained for Sauvignon steel being an inert vessel um But oak is possible and then we end up Getting more of those secondary Characteristics from the oak which can Add more complexity And there is a concern that oak can Overpower the delicate aromas of Sauvignon blanc so Careful handling here can be quite Important um Older oak might be used to get
Um maybe more kind of texture rather Than too much Oak flavour and just add that more Subtle variation to the wine The point there that says less contact Possible is supposed to say Lee’s contact possible So this is a thing that i think is Becoming more common actually In using the leaves the dead yeast at The end of fermentation Leaving those in contact with the with The sodium block for For an amount of time just to add more Body more texture to the wine And this will see in premium wines from A number of different regions you can Find it In france as much as you can find it in New zealand Um but again it’s going to be more for The higher quality wines it’s uh Potentially not something we’re going to See On the more commercial inexpensive wines Uh and the final point there is that It’s drunk young and i’ve mentioned this Already Um sauvignon blanc doesn’t typically Develop tertiary characteristics in the Way that Other grape varieties other wines will So when you’ve got your salsa or your Poifume
Or your i don’t know your cloudy bay Whatever you might have Um it doesn’t really benefit the wine to Hold on to it for many years These wines especially the high quality Wines can Hold for several years they’re not going To Rapidly lose their flavors you can hold On to them and they will continue to Maintain That structure that intensity of that Quality But they’re not going to develop new Characteristics in the way that many Other great varieties do so That’s why typically drunk young Um that said there are exceptions and Again the we’ll talk about in a second The the bordeaux whites Where some of those do have potential For aging but that’s more down to the Semi-on In the blend rather than the sauvignon Blanc So let’s have a little think about Sauvignon blanc around the world So i’ve mentioned a few places already Where we can find Sauvignon so france obviously there’s a Number of different regions In france where we will find it grown Um these days the place you’d seem to Mention
After france in terms of soviet black is New zealand And this has really been the success Story for this variety Over the last 30 40 years New zealand will focus a little bit more On in a minute but um It came from kind of nowhere created This Vibrant style of sauvignon blanc which Developed this International acclaim and demand So just more and more sauvignon coming Out of new zealand And there are many other places as well You may have some favorite places for Sauvignon blanc i mean All the kind of normal countries we Would talk about uh In australia chile argentina usa we’ve Mentioned already Various places in europe um you’ll find Some in spain Italy germany austria serbia croatia Romania other places Israel had such rayleigh soviet black Recently Um and so on So that is the way with any of these Great varieties that are Commercially very successful uh it does Tend to be planted In lots of different places uh and you Know
Why wouldn’t you because Um you know if you’ve got something that You know people Want to drink then it’s it’s a good idea To try and make some Commercially very important Um so Of these regions there’s just a few that I’m going to talk about In a little bit more detail just have a Bit more of a focus on And think about the typical styles That you would find there So i’m going to start with france of Course And more specifically the loire valley So the noir valley was um One of the places that’s theorized to be The home of soviet blanc Um and for many people would be Considered the best place for Single varietal expressions of sauvignon So particularly when we talk about Sauvignon in the lower we’re talking About The central vineyard area looking Particularly At sansa and koifume which have been Really the areas that have the best Reputation for this variety for many Many years They are admired for Having a style that’s often said to be a Little bit more delicate
Compared to what we would consider the New world Marlborough style now so we’re still Looking at wines that are dry High in acid often medium bodied um and They will have a combination Of some citrus fruit green fruit with That Herbaceous pyrazine grassy Characteristic Um but they might not be so pungent in Terms Of that kind of peppery vegetal notes And they will often also have Some sort of wet stones Or smoky or flinty characteristic as Well And this is something that’s said to be More of an association With the soils that are here so Throughout the sunset and poi fiuma we Have a combination of limestone but also Uh silex flint soils Um and it’s it’s just one of those Associations where you find Sauvignon blanc grown on this particular Soil It’s said to add this extra dimension to A wine So earlier when i mentioned Expressiveness with sauvignon blanc This is a characteristic that we’ll Often notice to a greater degree here Rather compared to other sodium bonds
From other places And that’s due to this soil that we find Here Um so i mean terroir is a word that we Don’t typically use at wset Um but it’s a word you may be familiar With where we’re thinking about The wine having a sense of place Um and i think it’s it’s often very true To say that that exists Here and they make very lovely wines Which is you know Can’t complain um Historically we’d be looking at um Wines that don’t show particular Secondary characteristics Um again styles change over the years So we’re now going to see we now see More wines Aiming for riper styles potentially Inspired also by the popularity of the New zealand wines And we’ll also be seeing wines that do Employ some of these other winemaking Techniques to add more more texture and More complexity Um outside of sans-ser and tofu There is sodium blonde planted in other Places in the loire valley And often they don’t have the same quite The same reputation Um this may be down to really changes in The soil you don’t necessarily get that Same sort of flinty characteristic
Coming through Um but uh Near near-ish to sunset You can see manitou-san on the map there Other places like quincy Terrain is also on the map there this is A slightly different style of sauvignon Typically We’re often looking at wines that don’t Quite have that same complexity Or intensity they’re a little bit more On the easier drinking Lower quality side fruity but maybe not Quite So complex but you know As with all mines there is a time and a Place for that So here we just have a lovely picture of Sunset And i can’t really tell too much about The vineyards or the soils from here But it’s just a nice nice kind of Panoramic shot I think Uh so after the loire valley And the other place in france we of Course have to mention is Bordeaux as i’ve said contended As being the other origin of sodium Blanc And here we see more of a variety Of styles so it can be single varietal Again Or it can be blended with semion
Can make quite simple wines or very Complex wines Can’t make dry wines or make sweet wines I quite like a region that’s full of um Opposites In terms of styles of wine So if we break this down a bit um we can See That the andre jumeirah region and in The middle Here is really where we’re gonna find More of the Um kind of single varietal easier Drinking versions of sauvignon blanc They’re gonna have that kind of grassy Herbaceous expressiveness Uh typically quite green fruit and Citrus fruit And they are very well made very Pleasant wines Protective wine making here and thinking About something that’s going to have That Easy consumer appeal Um whereas if we look over to the left Bank and Per second in particular um it’s a very Different story So here is where we have sodium blanc Still but now we’re blended with semyon So semion does a few things here Um it adds to to the texture to the Weight of the wine It adds aging potential to the wine
Semion is a great variety is really Quite neutral In its youth so by blending it with Sauvignon blanc you’re not detracting From the herbaceous characteristics But give it a few years and semion Develops more tertiary characteristics So here we can get things like Honey nuts dried fruit and this is Really The thing that sauvignon blanc can’t do As i’ve mentioned already So by having the two together sauvignon Blanc Is not going to lose its flavor for For a while i mean you look at the best Pesto onion wines they can last for 10 15 years and it holds on to its flavor For that time But it’s the semion that brings that Capacity for greater development Um and then we put it in some oak as Well so we get some of those nice Secondary characteristics maybe some Leaves contact as well And you’re seeing a wine that is just The complete opposite to what we’d Normally Associate with the style of sauvignon Blanc Um the wines are are delicious Very complex lots going on you can still Get that kind of Some of those delicate herbaceous or
Floral characteristics But it’s just in amongst this whole Array of other things going on at the Same time Um so quite a quite a particular style Um but as i’ve said before it’s not the Only place in the world Making ok so new blogs it’s just one of The places that Probably has the best reputation And and then of course in so turn Is where we see the sweet wine Production and Uh so turn and barsak to be fair and as I’ve mentioned already Here sauvignon blanc doesn’t really play The major role um often it’s simeon That’s the majority because it’s thinner Skin that’s more susceptible to noble Rot But sauvignon brings again this kind of Vibrancy this tropical Herbaceous not so much herbaceous in the Sweet wines to be fair And more floral was what i intended to Say Instead um and so turn you may well know Was historically one of the most highly Sought after sweet wines in the world So you know good reputation there So let’s move on and have a think about New zealand so after france sauvignon Blanc Is most widely planted in new zealand so
We’re talking about uh in terms of Hectares planted um france still has The most uh new zealand second and Increasing still so we may see no we’re Not going to see it catch up Um but it’s still going um and here we Can see Sauvignon blanc first planted in new Zealand in 1975. And that’s you know that’s kind of mad That’s a really short Time to essentially change the global Wine industry Right um so Uh pretty impressive so we’ll find vines Um Sauvignon blanc vines in a number of Places in new zealand Marlborough of course is the key region So this is where um the majority of Sauvignon blanc comes from In new zealand Excuse me so i tried to get some stats Here i believe 89 Of sodium blanc from new zealand is Growing in marlborough It sounds a bit mad well we can Fact-check that later Um so yeah really prolific Growth here and what was discovered was That the style of wine produced In marlborough um was different to the Style of wine that we Had had experienced in the french wines
So this had this greater ripeness So we were getting more of these stone Fruits even tropical fruits In new zealand than we would have Traditionally found in our french wines Largely due to the greater influence of The sun here But the other thing you may remember is That The the pyrazines the compounds that Give us those Um herbaceous characteristics do are Reduced In uh when the grapes get more sunlight So we’ll find that it’s a balance here And in fact you might find that many Producers Grow grapes in different sub regions one That is More sunny one that’s less sunny or they Might try Different harvesting times harvest some Grapes a bit earlier Retain more herbaceous notes harvest Some grapes a bit later Get more of those riper fruits um and in That way we can still Maintain that full array of aroma Characteristics Um so yeah people loved it uh I think about you know the advent of Cloudy bay Uh it was it was a hit and many many Wines followed
So from the 80s 90s where the popularity Really took an increase Um it just hasn’t really stopped When i started out in the wine trade Many years ago It wasn’t a wine that i was particularly Familiar with i’ve come from A mother of red fine drinking background Um I i was working in a wine shop and was Just astonished At the volume of uh new zealand’s Sauvignon blanc That would be sold week in week out And then you get to christmas and oh my God just like just leave the palette by The door they’ll buy a box as they leave Um so yeah it’s something that that made A real impression on me quite early on Um and and as i said it doesn’t really Show much signs of changing Um so it is it is new zealand’s Keyboard variety it’s grown in other Regions as well Um less so on the north island uh just Because it does get a bit warmer Up there of course um [Music] And it’s really what’s made the the Reputation for the country And there are other white grapes of Course you get some lovely riesling Adverts traveling and pink green and Chardonnay
I’m just listening white grapes now um But yeah it’s it’s important and it’s Going to remain important for a long Time But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t Any Um changes happening you know producers Aren’t just Resting on their laurels making the same Wine Year after year after year and there is A focus on Complexity on how can we make wines that Are different And that’s going to come from a lot of The methods That we talked about earlier so using More Wild yeast using more oak and leaves Contact Um maybe an exp looking at different Clonal variations Um clonal variation within sauvignon Blanc doesn’t Seem to be quite so varied as uh with Some of the other great varieties that We’ve mentioned I tried to find out a bit about which Clones were better And it was just a list of numbers which Didn’t really mean anything but that Could be another way to Try and understand how to create Different styles
So it’s it’s going to be an interesting One to keep coming back to Over the next few years to see which Producers are making something that does Have Um something different to it and what Can be done To continue to maintain the popularity Will there come a point where people Have had enough Um i was talking to a friend about this The other day And uh she said she doesn’t really drink Sodium blanc oh wow you know It’s probably a great variety um and It’s just because it’s Considered it a pop one it’s just you Know everywhere sells it I’m gonna try something different so There may be Um a backlash potentially of the Popularity And this then makes this uh idea of Continuing to work on it continuing to Create more complex styles even more Important so that people have something New That they can go to something they’ve Tried before And i’m always willing to try something New i’m sure you guys are Too Um and here we have another just lovely Panoramic vineyard shots
From marlborough instead um It’s just very pretty what can we say Nice nice neat rose Uh good training there yeah all right A little bit of mention of australia And so in fact in terms of um Plantings hectares of sodium blanc Uh chile is the third country there’s Actually quite a lot produced there Um but i decided i wanted to talk about Australia instead Uh so australia has been has planted Uh soviet black for a long time uh but We do have to be quite careful where It’s planted as i’ve already mentioned It’s not suited to growing anywhere too Warm Um so there’s a couple of places uh in In the south really or on the coast or At altitude So adelaide hills and in south australia Make some lovely sauvignon blanc um Here typically a single varietal and Here again Promoting that sort of vibrant Herbaceous aromatic Characteristic in western australia We can see sonja blanc here Some single varietal but also some Um with a bit of semion in it as well A little bit more of a nod to the Bordeaux style And then down in victoria as well where It’s a little bit more
Further south a little bit cooler we’ll See some examples there too So plantings of sodium blonde in Australia go back to the 1800s So it’s uh certainly been planted here A lot longer than it has done in new Zealand Uh but they the kind of original places Where the Grapes the vines were planted were just A bit too warm And so it didn’t develop those aromatic Characteristics it didn’t develop that Complexity And so the reputation just just wasn’t Really there people didn’t Realize the potential of it so as we Know in australia chardonnay Uh became particularly popular instead And riesling you may remember if you Joined me a few weeks ago for the Riesling session Um but as we’ve said already trends Change So by the time we get to the 90s um it Overtook Chardonnay um and this may have been Uh a kind of reaction to chardonnay’s Big Oaky styles just wanting something a Little bit Fresher a little bit lighter a little Bit more easy going Um but you can see here there’s a bit of
A problem If consumers in australia are drinking More sauvignon blanc but uh There wasn’t necessarily at the time That many producers making sodium blanc Uh it meant that they were actually Importing more sodium block from new Zealand than they were making Which um this is not really what they Were hoping for So it is a country where we are seeing Um more sauvignon blanc being planted Now To um to meet this demand to Give the consumers what they want So there are there are many other Regions um It always feels tricky picking out a few California i mentioned already because Of that um Mondavi association there’s also been an Important region for sodium blanc but But hey we have to draw the line Somewhere and i really wanted to get in Some chat about food it’s nearly dinner Time For me um and i think it’s It’s always interesting to think about Wine with food As much as you can drink sodium blonde By itself it doesn’t need Food um there are a number of dishes That work really well with it Um so i’ve got given a few examples
There again you may have some of your Favorites feel free to Uh pop them in the chat if there’s Anything in particular you enjoy with Your sauvignon blanc And goat’s cheese for me absolute winner And that’s one of those um kind of what Grows together goes together pairings Isn’t it if you think about The cheese in the lower valley we get a Lot of goat’s cheese The wine we get a lot of sauvignon blanc It just works um goat’s cheese having This kind of softer creamier texture And a bit of acidity works really well With the acidity in the wine So it just ends up feeling kind of both The cheese and the wine Can end up feeling more kind of vibrant And flavorful Yummy some more obvious options Shellfish oysters i don’t think there’s Any Anyone needs convincing there you know Think about some nice kind of grilled Shellfish I mean just fresh oysters obviously you Don’t need to do anything to oysters Um vegetable-based dishes actually can Work quite well If you think about the flavors we’ve Talked about already Um matching those kind of Green pepper asparagus green vegetables
Um to that flavor in the wine Can work quite well whereas other wines Can kind of be a bit overpowered If you’ve got strong green veg flavours Um Likewise a grilled chicken delicate more Delicate flavored chicken dishes can Work White meat dishes work or tomato Often tomato has a nice acidity to it as Well So here again we’re we’re pairing the Acidity and the wine with the acidity And the food And it just brings out a vibrancy in Both of them Um but then if we were going for An oak aged wine then we would probably Do something different You normally have a bit more texture More weight With your oat aged wine so you can go For a food that has more More texture and weights and flavor to It So here we might go for some roasted Meats go for a roast chicken or A bit of pork something like that and Something a bit more barbecued or char Grilled Creamy dishes creamy dishes and oaky Wines As long as the wine has enough acidity As well which as i’ve said a few times
So neon block does that can work Quite nicely um because again you’re Getting that sort of contrast of the Texture of the of the cream that kind of Rich viscosity versus the freshness of The acidity which gives you that Sort of mouth cleansing feeling instead I love sweet vines i mean there’s Options for sweet wines Um blue cheese It’s my personal favorite i could just Put a different type of cheese for every Type of wine to be honest but I only just refrained um it’s quite Common Foie gras common pairing for So turn a little bit debatable I feel not everyone likes that or um It depends on the context as well Doesn’t it if you’re having if you were To be Well it depends on your kind of ethical Concern as well if you were to be having Fargo as a starter i’ve never really Thought it makes sense to have a sweet Wine with it because then you’d be Moving on to A white wine or a red wine afterwards But hey Who am i to argue with tradition and Then of course with them With desserts personally if i’m having a Dessert To go with a sweet sauvignon um
I don’t want anything really that’s Going to be too chocolatey uh Something that’s going to be more fruity Uh potentially some green fruit maybe a Tatan i’ve put there um What else do i think of i can’t remember Now Um so again be selective If you’re going for sweet food with Sweet wine um think about the flavors That are going to complement Is my advice there so i hope you are all Now Suitably hungry um and so just wanted to Have a little bit of a consideration of The future for sauvignon Uh so the future seems bright uh despite My Potential concern that people might have Enough I don’t think they’re gonna have enough I think it’s gonna continue to To be popular so plantings are gonna Continue to reflect that um but what i Will I think we will see is as i’ve said Already this greater variety of styles So oak i’ve mentioned a few times but There are other things Maybe some more skin contact wines Orange wines this has become A bit more of a trend in recent years if This was to become more popular Something that we could see more
Widespread i think that would engage More people with sauvignon blanc Amphora other vessels used for Fermentation You know it’s not just steel or wood There are other options too and this Again will have a different effect on The On the texture of the wine and which Which is also just a good thing Um and in case you weren’t aware there Is a souvenir block day we’ve missed it This year Sadly um it was on the 7th of may So as if you guys needed any excuse but That’s That’s the day put it in your calendars For next year Get yourself an extra fancy bottle um And celebrate the sauvignon blanc day With everyone else And that brings us to the end So got a few minutes if you have Any questions I’ll just end the recording here