You might be forgiven for thinking so, given the amount we lap up, but New Zealand isn’t all about sticky sauvignon blanc. There are plenty of exciting alternative whites, such as grüner veltliner and gewürztraminer, that you probably never knew the Kiwis produced and which are well worth getting to know.
Not that there is anything wrong with Kiwi sauvignon when yields are kept low and winemakers aim for subtle fruit flavours with elegance and complexity. The trouble is, though, as New Zealand’s largest export market by far, we continue to be flooded with evil, grassy, high residual sugar wines made by those who should know better.
New Zealand is trying to diversify and, given that its cool, temperate, maritime-influenced climate has bags of potential to make thrilling, fresh, overtly fruity white wines, it’s high time British drinkers branched out too. The country has several things in its favour. First, our average spend on Kiwi wine is an impressive £7.12, way above our average spend of £5.56 a bottle; even France can muster only £6.87. In addition, more of us drink white wines than red, and most Kiwi whites work as well with food as without. To top it all, New Zealand has a wide range of regions, soils, sites and micro-climates, giving winemakers plenty of scope for experimentation and creating different styles.
It’s easy to forget how fast and far the Kiwis have come with their vineyards. When I first visited New Zealand in the 1980s, boring, bland muller-thurgau was the most widely planted variety by far; today, thankfully, there are only a few acres left. Instead, pick German grapes such as riesling and gewürztraminer that thrived in New Zealand from the outset.
The Irwin family’s success with a dry, distinctive, European-influenced gewürztraminer at Gisborne on the north island from the early 1970s paved the way for Villa Maria’s classic, glorious, rose, lychee and violet-perfumed 2016 East Coast Gewürztraminer (Majestic and Wine Rack, £10.99) and the like. Finer still is Framingham’s gorgeous, bitter lime and candied citrus peel of a 2015 Marlborough Riesling (Liberty, £14.99), again off-dry, but perfect with spicy oriental food.
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There are much larger plantings of pinot gris, aka pinot grigio, and if you want to spend a lot less, try the lively, zesty, leafy 2016 Irresistible Marlborough Pinot Grigio (Co-op, £7.49). Or trade up to the swanky 2015 Astrolabe Province Pinot Gris (Waitrose, £17.99), which has lots of floral, spicy, white nectarine fruit.
Of the newest whites, albarino from Spain has made some zingy, headline-making whites, eclipsed though by Austria’s grüner veltliner: the Paddler’s 2012 Grüner Veltliner from Marlborough (Waitrose Cellar, 0800 188881, £15.99) is a smouldering, spicy, sherbety star.
This week’s best buys
2015 Les Jamelles Syrah, Pays d’Oc, France, 12.5 per cent
Co-op, £5.99 (down from £6.99)
Delicious, juicy, cherry and loganberry-stashed Languedoc red, with just enough of syrah’s peppery pizzazz.
2015 Château Capitoul Languedoc, France, 13 per cent
Co-op, £6.99 (down from £7.99)
Another Languedoc, mostly French oak-aged syrah, but with grenache and mourvèdre, hence its bold, briary, savoury fruit.
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2013 Château Argadens, Bordeaux Supérieur, France, 13.5 per cent
Booths, £10
The Sichel family’s classic, cedar, truffle and game-laden claret, topped up with both cabernets, is great value.
2016 Brancott Estate Sauvignon Gris, New Zealand, 14.5 per cent
Tesco, £7.50, Sainsbury’s, £8
A punchy, off-dry Marlborough sauvignon gris, with lashings of smoky, lime-zest fruit; it’s made for Thai green curry.
2016 Trinity Hill Tempranillo, Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, 13 per cent
Liberty, 020 7720 5350, £22.99
Soft, silky, red plum and voluptuous, squishy black fig-fruited, from Spain’s top grape, tempranillo.
2015 Seifried Sweet Agnes Riesling, Nelson, New Zealand, 10 per cent, half-bottle
Wine Rack, £16.99
Gorgeous, racy, sweet, and intensely fruity, dried apricot, kerosene and lime peel-licked, top drawer pudding wine.