Gold medal was a game changer

GAME CHANGER: The recent success of GroCo’s 2019 Gisborne Sauvignon Blanc wine at the World Bulk Wine Exhibition in Europe has been described as a ”game changer” for Gisborne. The Gisvin and GroCo team celebrated the success — from left, Fiona Cherrington, Petina Baker, Reid Fletcher, Andrew Vette, Mark Thompson, Tully Midford, Mike Jones and Rob Godwin. Picture supplied

A gold medal for GroCo's 2019 Gisborne Sauvignon Blanc awarded at the World Bulk Wine Exhibition in Amsterdam at the beginning of the month was nothing short of a “game changer” for the regions wine industry, an industry spokesman said.

While Sauvignon Blanc has been by far New Zealand's single biggest variety (representing 87 percent of New Zealand wine exports), it has not been grown in any volume in this region.

“Gisborne has long held the reputation for world class Chardonnay but competes on a very competitive world stage,” the spokesman said.

“Gisborne Sauvignon Blanc production not only meets a world class price point but, as the Gold medal attests, new growing and winemaking techniques mean we are also now meeting and exceeding international expectations in flavour.

“This combination is set to be a game changer for the local industry.”

He said from a growing perspective, the variety yields well and has harvested earlier to achieve a certain flavour profile, reducing the risk of adverse weather affecting yield and quality — and ultimately grower returns.

“That's a winning combination for growers.

“Understanding the export potential of this product, growers have also really bought into the need to grow for flavour, adopting new strategies to achieve this.”

Wine making practices have also been significantly redefined to get the absolute best from this grape, the spokesman said.

“The Gold medal result is a real credit to the GroCo growers for producing the quality fruit and the GisVin team lead by Winemaker Mark Thompson for making the wine.

“It is the culmination of a concerted programme lead by Andrew Vette and backed by GisVin to introduce another viable option for the Gisborne wine growing industry.

“We could easily double our already considerable programme and are actively looking for more growers to plant Sauvignon Blanc in Gisborne.

“We are excited about what the future holds as a wine region.”