A mixed review

Lindauer, The Ned and Johanneshof. Photo / Babiche Martens.

Emerging from an enervating 30-hour journey from the UK, I've had plenty of time to ponder what I encountered on my annual wine judging expedition whilst there.

Lots of palate pummelling tastings have left me pleased by the promise of New Zealand's newly released 2009 vintage, excited by sauvignons being produced by our competitor Chile, but concerned by the proliferation of cut-price Marlborough sauvignons populating Britain's supermarket shelves.

On past visits, I'd been impressed at how our wines had become widely regarded as essential items on shop and restaurant wine lists. This trip I was less happy to see a surge in Marlborough sauvignon that had been shipped there in bulk and bottled as bargain-basement supermarket own brands or anonymous opportunistic labels off the back of the super-sized 2008 vintage.

After years of struggling to meet demand with supply, New Zealand now officially has a wine surplus.

Cheaper wine may be great news for drinkers and entice more to try our products, but it could be catastrophic for the New Zealand wine industry, which is just not cut out to produce wine at the plonk end of the market.

New Zealand may have been able to put wines on the UK's shelves for under £4 (NZ$9) due to surplus stocks currently in the system, but these prices are unsustainable and damaging to both profitability and the premium image it's been cultivating for its wines. One UK wine chain buyer called these lowly price levels "commercial madness".

Unlike New Zealand, a country like Chile has the climate and labour costs that allow it to make cheaper versions of our flagship variety. However, in the past many lacked the wow-factor that put our sauvignons on the world's wine map. But after attending the annual Wines of Chile tasting in London, I had to admit that examples I tried from its emerging cooler climate regions such as San Antonio, Limari and Elqui gave some of our similarly priced sauvignons a definite run for their money.

It's certainly no time for New Zealand to drop the ball when it comes to quality. But that's exactly what some critics have started to say after the high cropping 2008 vintage produced a slew of insipid sauvignons, which one prominent British wine writer described as "evil, watery, grassy wines". Ouch!

Mindful that the future of New Zealand wine rests on making premium rather than low-priced wines, prior to this year's harvest, growers were warned that they needed to curb yields and concentrate on quality. This message seems to have got through, as despite largely clement conditions and 2000 hectares of new vines coming into production, the 2009 vintage weighed in the same as last year.

The largely zingy and intense 2009 sauvignons I've tried so far, both here and while judging in the UK, also suggest its quality should be far more consistent than that of 2008.

In a recent report on New Zealand's "wine lake", financial services provider Citigroup noted the challenges the industry was facing after a succession of record breaking vintages, which combined with the economic downturn had hit wine prices hard.

However, it concluded that if yields were kept in check "demand and supply could be back into a more sustainable situation as early as 2010".

Let's hope that in a crucial and competitive export market like the UK, the errors of 2008 haven't done irreparable damage to New Zealand's shelf cred.

New season's selections

FLAGSHIP FIZZ
Lindauer Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc NV $14.99

Now there's sauvignon to spare, innovation should follow and Lindauer has been quick off the mark with the launch of its first sparkling sauvignon. Fresh and citrussy, in successfully blending bubbles with the variety's classic passionfruit and herbs, it could well create a whole new category. (Widely available.)

FIRST TASTE
The Ned Waihopai Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 $18.99

One of the few new sauvignons to premiere at August's Wine 2009 fair. Tasted there, this impressed with its melange of blackcurrant leaf, zesty lime, grassy herbaceous notes and minerally undertones. (From Liquor King, New World and selected fine wine stores.)

GORGEOUS GEWURZ
Johanneshof Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2009 $28-$31

Another drop dead gorgeous gewurz from Johanneshof: fresh, poised with a gentle sweetness and perfumed notes of rose enfolding a core of delicate spice. (From Glengarry, selected Liquorlands and fine wine stores.)