Never mind the port, there's no sav blanc

By Peter Calder

The selection of wines for the world leaders' slap-up meals at the Apec summit has not satisfied all of the more educated palates around town.

The wine world is in something of a ferment over the omission of New Zealand's flagship variety, Marlborough sauvignon blanc, from the wine lists for Sunday's banquet at the Town Hall and Monday's lunch at the Auckland Domain.

The Lombardi dessert cabernet - a port by another name - to be served at the lunch is proving a sticky point since it is not a variety New Zealand does well.

Critics of the list also say the chardonnay selection shuns some of the North Island's finest and one describes the choice of the inexpensive Villa Maria Private Bin Riesling 1998 as "bizarre."

Several restaurateurs and Masters of Wine were unanimous that the absence of a sauvignon blanc was a major slip-up.

"It's what New Zealand is most famous for and does best," said one. "It's astonishing."

Matthew Deller, of Orlando Wyndham, said we had undersold ourselves on the riesling.

"It's a bizarre choice in the context of the menu, especially when the same vineyard has an exciting reserve that exhibits New Zealand riesling in its shiniest form."

Stephen Bennett, a freelance wine consultant, said there were some notable omissions from the list.

"Some represent the creme de la creme, but they are being served next to others that are lower in quality."

Many of the wines on the menu for the leaders' meals retail for more than $30 a bottle and some for more than $40. The riesling, which sells for less than $15, was seen by some as out of place.

The export manager for Villa Maria, Ian Clark, disagreed.

"The riesling shows you can get top-class wine at a less expensive price," he said.

"Riesling is regarded as the next grape variety to stun the world out of New Zealand. It's an elegant and delicate wine with a touch of residual sweetness that reinforces the fruit."

The compiler of the menus, David Williams, of catering company Glorious Food, said he was overseeing 27 menus for various functions and there was plenty of sauvignon blanc on the lists.

The selection for the leaders' meals, which was compiled after consulting a panel of chefs and restaurateurs, sought to match the textures of the food, he said.

The highly regarded West Auckland chardonnays - Kumeu River and Brajkovich - were well represented elsewhere.

The New Zealand Herald's wine writer, Paul White, thought the selection adventurous.

"What they're really trying to do is show off the stuff nobody's realised about yet."

Apec leaders would be overwhelmed by sauvignons at every function. "And to my mind it's not a great food wine anyway. It's so strongly flavoured you need strong-tasting food to match it."

Two experts who tasted the dessert cabernet yesterday said it was the best local wine of that type. But they said that wasn't saying much since this country's climate did not ripen grapes enough to produce good port-style wines.

Paul White thought the dessert wine choices should have concentrated on our sweet whites, particularly the sweet rieslings, "which are absolutely among the world's finest."