 ‘Did someone say they'd like to try a Sauvignon Blanc with a twist?!! We're excited to introduce our new SAUVIGNOIR (Soh-vin-nwar).....a light, fruity red Sauvignon Blanc, made to be serve chilled. Currently available in Countdown stores in NZ.....look out for it. Perfect for summer....and the topic of conversations’, reads the entry on Tuesday on the Facebook page of the Yealands Estate Wines.
Peter Yealands, who is on the Rich People List of New Zealand by the National Business Review, with an estimated wealth of NZ $80 m and who has developed the reputation for doing things in an offbeat style, says the wine has been developed to meet a growing consumer demand for innovative Sauvignon Blanc wine styles but is presumably to satisfy the demand of the Chinese who have a weakness for red wines and are supposedly willing to experiment.
''Whilst we are having enormous success with our Sauvignon Blanc on the international stage, we need to be mindful that consumer wine tastes continue to evolve and trying new wine styles is part of what makes wine consumption enjoyable for many,'' he reportedly said, adding that the entire volume of his first vintage is already on allocation.
Technically, with the percentage of Sauvignon Blanc being above 85%, he could still name it after the popular varietal from Marlborough but has chosen instead to call it Sauvignoir. Registering it as a trade name, his is thus the first NZ red wine from white grape. He says he experimented with different red grapes varieties for over a year before choosing to blend with 5% Teinturier.
While Teinturier normally means the grape variety with dark red colour due to the flesh being red (wine gets its colour from the skin of the grape as the flesh is generally colourless), it is also a rather unimpressive red grape variety grown in Chile to generally a give dark colour to even varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon. Yealand says he hopes to replace the red varietal with another one he is experimenting with to grow at his estate.
Yealands says the wine has been developed to meet a growing demand for innovative Sauvignon Blanc styles. “While we’re having enormous success with our Sauvignon Blanc on the international stage, we need to be mindful that consumer wine tastes continue to evolve,’ he says. The wine is likely to be popular with Chinese wine drinkers who are looking to be adventurous and try something new, he added. ‘Red is considered a lucky colour in China, so we see massive potential over there.’
Sauvignoir is nomenclature as a red wine; Yealands already makes a Rose wine with his signature Sauvignon Blanc (92%) and Pinot Noir (8%)- a wine which would not be allowed to be made in the European Union. Although he claims it is a lighter, crispier, fruity red wine with vibrant colour, he recommends serving it chilled like a Rose. For an interesting article written by John Salvi MW for delWine, visit Red and White Don’t Make Pink although this seems to be a case of White and Red Make Red.
Yealands group is one of the biggest New Zealand wine producers, owning more than 1500 hA of vineyards mainly in Marlborough, and Hawke's Bay, according to the Rich List |