Howard Park's plan to dethrone NZ sauvignon blanc

The wildfire that is New Zealand sauvignon blanc has dominated the white wine category since the late 1990s, but WA's Howard Park believes it has the key to dethroning the country's domination.

Natalie Burch, Operations Manager and Director for Howard Park Wines - part of Burch Family Wines - has told Food & Beverage News the secret to creating a worthy opponent isn’t in imitation, but distinction.

“[NZ Sauvignon Blanc has] been very successful, but it’s not something Australia could replicate because we aren’t New Zealand,” said Burch. “So producers, like ourselves, who have Sauvignon Blanc planted have looked at how to differentiate ourselves and make the wines more interesting to drink.

“The main difference is oak,” explained Burch. “We tend to do a little barrel fermentation in French oak or extended lees/skin contact. It softens the fruit acidity of the wine a little and adds more richness and complexity.”

The 2017 vintage could be the year that Australia fights back, with Marlborough grape growers describing the harvest as average or slightly below average in size.

Caythorpe Family Estate director Simon Bishell told The Marlborough Express his crop flowered around December 10, during a cooler period of the month, which meant there were less berries, however he said there were still enough bunches to make for an average harvest.

"At this stage we're looking at our bunches, and fruit set looks average, if not slightly below average for sauvignon blanc," he said.

Sauvignon blanc accounts for 85.6% of exports from New Zealand. Export value to the United States grew 24% in 2016 and, at $461m, it is now firmly established as New Zealand's largest market.

New Zealand topped the growth charts for wine sales in the UK during 2016, new figures from the Wine & Spirit Trade Association show. The popularity of its sauvignon blanc led to the sale of 63 million bottles of wine in 2016, a 15% rise on the previous year.

New Zealand’s growth comes at a time when the majority of the top 10 countries selling wine in the UK are showing a decline in volume sales.

Even China is getting in on the sav blanc act. While Australian reds have traditionally dominated, New Zealand sauvignon blanc is establishing a toehold. According to Shanghai Daily it has "been one of the trendiest wines in Shanghai this past year."