DEFINE WINE

Marlborough shows its pedigree through Waipara Hills

25 gold medals over ten vintages, from wine shows across the globe, are a testament to the quality of Sauvignon Blanc made by New Zealand’s Waipara Hills.  The latest release, the 2011 vintage, has a lot to live up to with such a pedigree.

The 2011 Waipara Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($20.90) is a blend of two of the key sub regions of Marlborough, including the vineyards grown on terraces of the Awatere and Wairau Valleys.  These unique regions contribute key attributes to the final blend of 2011 vintage.

“The 2011 Wairau fruit offered us the tropical and grassy flavours that we were after,” explained Waipara Hills winemaker Simon McGeorge. “The Awatere component was a smaller percentage of the final blend this year as it was a more challenging vintage.”

“We aim to have a broad range of blending material, with a good array of characteristics.  This covers a broad spectrum of flavours including the ripe tropical fruit and passionfruit through to more herbaceousness characters.  The final wine is determined on the blending bench, as opposed to being predetermined in the vineyard.”

The previous vintage of Waipara Hills Sauvignon Blanc claimed recognition recently when it helped Jetstar Airlines take out the award for the ‘Best Business Class White’ in the Cellars in the Sky Awards held in London. 

“We have received some fantastic praise for our Sauvignon Blanc, and we are confident that our 2011 vintage will also be well received.”

“The 2011 season started quite early with unexpected warmer Spring temperatures. This encouraged generous crop set which we needed to manage quite carefully to ensure that the vines could carry the fruit through to ripeness. We achieved good balance, and having the two sub regions to draw from gave us the flavours and texture that we sought.”

“Our Sauvignon Blanc aims to be a generous, lifted style, with all the power and flavour expected from the region, yet with a lovely texture, natural acidity and crisp finish,” mentioned Simon. “The medals that we have received gives us the confidence to continue with this style.”

Pricing:       2011Waipara Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc  $20.90

Distribution:  Waipara Hills wines aredistributed nationally by Fesq & Company, 1300 763 377.   Further information on Waipara Hills can be found at www.waiparahills.co.nz.

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