The Sustainably Grown Award Winning Vegan Friendly Wine from New Zealand

One of the most recognised grape varieties anywhere in the world is the Sauvignon Blanc. The most famous ones are from France (Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume) and New Zealand (Marlborough). The ones from France are generally more mineral-driven in flavour than non-French ones. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has very aromatic “green” flavours such as gooseberry, nettles, cut grass, and lots of citrus.

The Sauvignon Blanc grape benefits most from regions where it is cool and not too warm. This is because the grapes best features are the pungent aromas and zesty characteristics which can be lost if they get too ripe. As a result, the most optimal growing conditions come from Marlborough in New Zealand where the warm days are offset by the cooling ocean breezes. The Black Cottage is located in the Wairau Valley of Marlborough, and is the home of winemaker David Clouston as well as the base of operations for their award winning wines.

Their 2019 vintage Sauvignon Blanc is one such example, winning many accolades in New Zealand. Their vineyards are sustainably grown, family-run, and even vegan friendly! Their focus on a sustainable approach has increased biodiversity and improved soil health. Even the bottles are made light weight to reduce carbon emissions! Its flavour profile is a very classic New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc with very pungent aromas of cut grass, peach, and gooseberry. The palate is full of green apple acidity leading to a refreshingly dry finish. It is no surprise that this wine has earned the “Champion Sauvignon Blanc Trophy” in the NZ Aromatic Wine Competition 2019.

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A returning hero!

When I first started working in Woodberrys there was one white wine that had a diehard cult following, Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc, but unfortunately within a short space of time the company importing the wine had folded, thanks to the Great Recession.  Over the years at trade shows we have tasted the wine, which is a good as the memory every time! We have left cards with people at stands, but it was only this year that someone came back to us, and now we are proud to announce the return of a hero.

Raise a glass to Mulderbosch Sauvignon and its stable partners. Since its founding in 1989, Mulderbosch Vineyards has widely been accepted as one of South Africa’s foremost wine producers. Since the first vintage in 1992, Mulderbosch has endeavored to represent innovation, flair and excellence producing quality wines from South Africa’s Stellenbosch and Western Cape winemaking regions.

In a cool corner of Stellenbosch, some of South Africa’s best white wines – Chenin Blanc in particular, but also Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay – are produced by Adam Mason and his team. In recent years, the quality has been refined in special releases such as single-vineyard Chenins Blancs, while the label also produces a Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé made from grapes grown for the purpose (not left over from red winemaking), a noble-rot dessert wine and Bordeaux-style blends under its Faithful Hound label. See thee full range of Mulderbosch wines here.

International Wine days – Sauvignon Blanc

Celebrate International Sauvignon Blanc Day 4th May

Seriously wine grapes have their own days! Sauvignon Blanc’s is this friday and to celebrate we have 15% off all Sauvignon Blancs until 7pm Saturday 5th May. And if that wasn’t enough to strike your fancy we’re hosting a free drop in tasting between 6pm and 8pm on Friday evening.

As a grape that is widely planted is has many different flavours and characteristics, some apply all over the world such as it has low to no tannins, it is rarely oak aged but can be oak fermented. It also maintains a medium to high level of acidity making most wine refreshing and is almost always dry in style.

Common aromas and flavours included citrus, gooseberry, Lime, granny smith apple, pear Guava and Passionfruit. Some more funky aromas are in the herbal category like basil, green bell pepper, freshly cut grass, lemongrass, celery and the just plain strange aromas of Cat’s piss, chalk, and wet concrete.

Call in on friday a sample some of the Sauvignons we have open!

Get Savvy about Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is easily in the top two most popular grape varieties in Ireland at present, the other being Pinot Grigio. It is planted in every wine-producing nation with it home in France leading the way in acres planted to Sauvignon Blanc, followed surprisingly by Italy, the New Zealand, whom everyone knows is great for Sauvignon, then the USA and Chile rounds out the top 5.

As a grape that is widely planted is has many different flavours and characteristics, some apply all over the world such as it has low to no tannins, it is rarely oak aged but can be oak fermented. It also maintains a medium to high level of acidity making most wine refreshing and is almost always dry in style.

Common aromas and flavours included citrus, gooseberry, Lime, granny smith apple, pear Guava and PAssionfruit. Some more funky aromas are in the herbal category like basil, green bell pepper, freshly cut grass, lemongrass, celery and the just plain strange aromas of Cat’s piss, chalk, and wet concrete.

 

If you would like to know more and taste some Sauvignon, drop into our Sauvignon Blanc tasting Thursday 21st September between 6pm and 8pm in the Shop

Weingut Hofmann

Anyone who has called into the shop lately will have noticed we have started moving things about, adding some new wines and removing some others. One of our new additions is Weingut Hofmann from Appenheim in Rheinhessen, about an hour east of Frankfurt. The estate which was mixed agriculture, was converted solely to wine production in 1971 by current winemaker Jurgen Hofmann’s parents. Jurgen produces Riesling, Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and some other german varieties like Silvaner. But it is his Rieslings and Sauvignons that really wowed us.

Grapes from the Rotliegend slate soils of the ‘Roter Hang (Red Slope)’ and the limestone dominated soils surrounding Appenheim fuse together in this estate-level Riesling bursting with stony spice and minerality. Aromas of dried apricots and exotic spice dance hand in hand in a racy yet breathtakingly elegant tango. This is an entry-level dry Riesling that will leaving you wanting more.

His Sauvignon Blanc grapes are harvested sequentially from multiple sites as each vineyard reaches its own optimal ripeness. Cool, fresh notes of gooseberry, elderberry, and green asparagus blend with a tropical breeze reminiscent of the variety’s origins — and the small, lively kiwi bird that also calls New Zealand home. This wine is the perfect marriage of Sancerre and Marlborough styles, but from Germany!

Vinho Branco

The delightful Portuguese words for white wine, and with stunning fortified wines, Port and Madeira and great reds from Douro, Dao, Lisboa, and Alentejo is it any wonder that Portuguese whites get over looked, much the same as their Iberian neighbours whites are over looked! (More on that another day). We import directly over 20 wines from Portugal from 5 different family owned estates and stock another 20 or so wines from Portugal. Out of that 40 or so different wines we have only 4 whites. That is a 10% of the total, no other country except for Spain is this figure even as low as 25%. But i waffle below are 3 crisp and refreshing Portuguese whites that we stock.

Bajancas Branco Douro 2011
A refreshing blend of Robigato, Gouveio and Malvasia Fino. Fresh and fruity with a hint of grapiness and. Some crisp lemon fruit. Nice and  refreshing with pure fruit and a hint of herbiness. An appealing easy drinking style.

Quinta Chocapalha Arinto 2010, Lisboa

Probably Portugal’s most famous white grape Arinto. This wine is aged for 12 months in the cellar prior to release. Fresh bright apple and lemony nose. The palate is crisp and fresh with lovely bright fruit and some lemony freshness on the finish.

Quinta Chocapalha Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Lisboa

This is a quirky example of a grape variety we have all love.  The nose explodes with prickly nettle, citrus and pineapple fruit on the nose all over classic freshly cut grass. The palate is fresh with a racy edge and lashing of pineapple, melon and tropical fruits. An absolute much try for all wine lovers. ( Warning this is probably a Marmite wine, love it or hate it!)