A savvy takeover of Australia

L-R: Tohu Marlborough, Goldwater Wairau and Sarastro Marlborough. Photos / Martin Sykes

Providing some warm respite from the chill of the New Zealand winter, I found myself sitting under the stars on a balmy evening in tropical Queensland at Townsville's annual Chefs in the North Dinner, sipping a glass of... New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

Everywhere I went on this and other recent trips to Australia, our sauvignons have been very much in evidence, as the variety has become the favourite of Australian wine drinkers, with New Zealand driving the huge growth in its sales.

In this instance, the sauvignon I was drinking was one from Winegrowers of Ara, who like a growing number of New Zealand wineries now employ dedicated staff to sell their wines in this booming market.

"It's a great time to be involved in Australia," says the company's man in Oz, Matt Fitz-Gerald.

"The position of New Zealand savvy in Australia is very strong. It's the white wine of choice for most consumers - 3 out 10 bottles of white wine sold in Australia is savvy, and it's growing."

Sauvignon's success across the ditch has been nothing short of phenomenal. Back in 2004 we sold just 5.7 million litres of wine to Australia.

This year it's 36.6 million; with exports doubling over the past two years and increasing by more than six-fold over the past five.

"Australia is now our number one market by value," says New Zealand Winegrowers' global marketing director, Chris Yorke, "and is forecast to be our largest market by volume in the coming two years."

Last year sauvignon blanc surged ahead to overtake chardonnay as Australia's most popular grape variety, with New Zealand examples accounting for an impressive 70 per cent of its total sales.

Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc is now Australia's number one selling white wine, one of four of the country's current top selling whites that are New Zealand sauvignon blancs.

"Sauvignon blanc has been the engine room for growth into Australia," notes Monty James, marketing manager at New Zealand Winegrowers' Melbourne office, opened due the to the increased importance of the Australian market.

"We are now at a point where most Australian drinkers are able to find a bottle of New Zealand sauvignon blanc at most places that sell liquor in the metropolitan areas of Australia - it's awoken the world to New Zealand wine."

Though sauvignon's the undisputed star in Australia, pinot noir and pinot gris are also tipped for the big time, while New Zealand's Bordeaux blends and syrah are also starting to gain momentum in high-end restaurants in particular.

Australian wine drinkers may be loving our wines, but the country's winemakers could well be less enthusiastic as New Zealand's soaring market share has been at the expense of their own.

To make matters worse, in New Zealand we're drinking less Aussie wine, with their share of the wines we consume here falling from 40 per cent in 2007 to 26 per cent in 2008.

But there could still be storm clouds ahead for New Zealand, as Australia has become something of a dumping ground for the surplus of our bumper 2008 vintage.

This growth in bulk wines, often marketed as cheap "home brands" are driving prices down and could have repercussions on the premium image of our wines overall.

Hopefully it's a situation that will quickly pass as stocks of the 2008 vintage are sold.

Whatever the case, Australia has certainly developed a taste for our wines, just as I rather developed a taste for their tropical winter climate.

SUCCESSFUL SAUVIGNONS

Given the large 2008 vintage, there are still plenty of 2008 sauvignons for sale, with many wineries releasing their 2009s later than usual this year. While the 2008s were a mixed bag in terms of quality, here are some fine examples that are arguably just entering their prime.

Signature savignon

Tohu Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 $18.95
Power and elegance combine in this fresh and focused sauvignon that's layered with gooseberry, mango and cut grass along with nuances of slaty mineral and fresh citrus. (Widely available from branches of Liquorland, New World Devonport & Victoria Park and wine stores including First Glass, Bacchus, Glengarry, Herne Bay Cellars, Kumeu Cellars, Milford Cellars, Millar & Co, Village Winery, La Vino.)

Precious stuff

Goldwater Wairau Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 $21
A superb sauvignon with punchy jalapeno and herbal aromatics over intense flavours of passion fruit, melon, mineral and zingy lime. (From La Barrique , La Vino, Liquorland, Glengarry, Foodtown, Woolworths, Golddiggers.)

New and natural

Sarastro Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2008 $22
A fuller-bodied and concentrated sauvignon from new family-owned Marlborough winery, Sarastro. Grown organically, it combines notes of blackcurrant leaf, flint and spice with a fresh zip of lime. sarastrowines.co.nz