I once heard a winemaker say ‘you can’t make a Ferrari out of materials only fit for a Ford.’ (though similiar has been tried) Fordist mentality relies on abundance of resources, production lines and rapid turnout, and in many cases, especially in floundering economies, fordism can squeeze out the craftsman, who takes greater care with less material to provide a superior product.

It is little wonder then, that New Zealand, with its renowned natural magnificence and limited space that by nature rules out the very possibility of mass-production is the home to many ‘wine Ferraris’ if I may call them that. However, unlike Ferrari or many other limited goods, everyone can afford New Zealand wine. New Zealand Wine Distribution Company is a true testament to the harmony of the country, in that it is a consortium of winemakers who band together to export their small parcels of wine in a single consolidated container. Through them I’ve had the diversity of being exposed to a side of New Zealand that I hadn’t really found through conventional methods. I’d just thought of New Zealand as cat’s pee, pink grapefruit and limited production Pinot Noir that’s hard to come by.

But would you believe that some of the finest Gewürz, Riesling and Pinot Gris I’ve sampled this season have all come for New Zealand?

What New Zealand does to Sauvignon Blanc is geo-gastronomic (if I can coin a phrase) proof of terroir, and the proof is on the palate.

Of course, it would be cruel to wax too lyrically about NZWC because they’re not in the US yet. In effect these wines are too limited in production, and at current the cost of coming to market in the USA is just not feasible for many other such producers. And unfortunately, until there’s a better way for these wineries to market and sell their wine more effectively, the US oenophile who can’t afford to travel will never get to experience them.

So I won’t talk too much about it… for now, you can just go down to Kroger and Publix and buy the same wine that some stressed out smokes-a-pack-a-day jaded corporate buyer has selected for you and every other Joe in the country to taste. But don’t worry, it won’t be for too much longer.

As the weather gets hotter, so does the prospect of Sauvignon Blanc. Smoking hot - and on that note, Springfield ‘Life from Stone’ has a unique flavour profile often referred to as ‘gun smoke’ connoting the flinty minerality imparted onto the wine by the lime-stone hills of Robertson, which do so well to keep the race-horses in galloping condition, and gives this Sauvignon Blanc its bang. The colour is slightly green and the wine, like its explosive nose, shoots flavours of granadilla and red pepper onto the palate. In winter, Springfield’s ‘Whole Berry Cabernet’ is a wine I revisit with relish from year to year; and being a producer for all seasons, Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc is just the same. This is wine for hot summer days and relaxed company.

If you’re a wine consumer, you’ll no doubt have been questioned about the differences between good and bad wine. Many a time I’ve found myself opposite a person sucking on a Marlboro between slugs from a crystal flute of champagne, and without fail they mention that they can’t tell the difference between one wine and the next and that they’re sure the whole thing is a hoax. Almost always, one finds these guys spouting such nonsense whilst eyeing out the waitress as if trying to bring the canapés in their direction by telekinesis and at the same time grumbling out loud that they wished there was some hard tack at hand. To such a person, one would have to agree,

if you’re trying to get drunk and sleep with cocktail waitresses, then there really is no difference between the wines you choose. Wine’s alcohol volumes vary at a maximum of 3%, and if you’re out to get drunk you should just hit the cheap stuff. Don’t even worry about getting a bottle, some places do bag in the box without the box, and what it may lack in style, it sure makes up for in price.

However, cheap wine is not just for students and desperate men looking to gain some confidence to proposition the waitress, I would put forward that there’s a lot to be learned from the real el’cheapo stuff. In fact, Read the rest of this entry »

I love Sauvignon Blanc… I just have an insatiable appetite for it, because whilst Merlot can be a bit of a vineyard slut, Sauvignon Blanc shows a different face wherever she grows. Coming to the United States I was very interested to pick up the pink grape fruit notes in the Marlborough region. I love the fruit in new world wines, but I soon found that too much fruit can amount to one-dimensionality and soon saturates the palate, and if one is drinking their Sauvignon with Salmon, that pink grape-fruit and Cat’s pee may be a little tainting to the pure flavour of the fish. Insofar as Pouilly Fume is concerned, I’m a little squeamish about white wine that costs over $15.00, purely because Read the rest of this entry »