Sauvignon Blanc arrives at Heathcote Winery

Australia is inundated with New Zealand savvy blanc. There is a good reason for that. First, the Kiwis do it very well and thanks to our policy of closer economic ties, get some pretty good tax benefits to go with it. Secondly, they have branded their product brilliantly. For example, everybody associates Marlborough with Sauvignon Blanc.

About two thirds of all Savvy Blanc sold in Australia is from NZ. Two thirds!!. What are we Aussies doing about it? Noth’n much. Name me a region in Australia renowned for it. If you can’t then maybe it’s because we don’t know how to do it well. WRONG. We make some great Sauvignon Blanc. Have you tried anything from Adelaide Hills recently? Have you asked your local shop for one made in Australia? If you are a little tired of the Kiwi style, why not do some investigating.

 In an industry with chronic oversupply issues, we should all be encouraging consumers to buy more Australian wine, particularly whites. Heathcote Winery is doing its bit. At Cellar Door, we are constantly asked whether we do a Sauvignon Blanc. The answer is always no because it is not the ideal climate profile in Heathcote.

Well, finally I have had enough of saying no. We went searching for an Aussie sauvignon Blanc worthy of the standard of our Heathcote wines. The search didn’t take long. Our friends in Coonawarra have suppled us with a limited amount of 2009 Coonawarra Sauvignon Blanc. Still with the freshness and crispness expected of the variety, the wine has some interesting tropical notes and is more mouth filling on the palate. At $12 per bottle, it is great value and has been very well received in Cellar Door.

The good thing about wine is you can have more than one favourite. So the message is to enjoy the Kiwi offerings but include some Australian offerings next time you are filling up the trolley. All the best for the upcoming festive season. I hope to see you at the Winery some time soon.

Cheers

The Chief