74 WINE SPECTATOR • SEPT. 30, 2019
JE
T^ PHOTOGRAPHY/MIKEHEYDONLarry McKenna, winemaker at
Escarpment in Martinborough,
released the top wine of this
report, a classic-scoring
single-vineyard Pinot Noir.THE ODDS
AGAINST
New Zealand wines
continue to punch
above their weight
By MaryAnn Worobiec
T
he small winegrowing
country of New Zealand
represents only 1% of the
wine made in the world, yet
it just recorded its 23rd
consecutive year of growth. That’s an
amazing success story. Those figures
come from New Zealand Winegrowers,
which also reports that the value of the
country’s wine exports (about half of
which goes to the United States) now
totals $1.13 billion. New Zealand is the
third-largest source of imported wine
stateside, behind Italy and France, and
its signature wine—a distinctive and ar-
omatic version of Sauvignon Blanc, with
crisp acidity and bright citrus flavors—
has a reputation for intensity, consis-
tency and value.
Sauvignon Blanc dominates the New
Zealand wine scene, accounting for 68%
of the vineyard acreage in the country. It
also controls the conversation, with the
buzz about Kiwi wine focusing on these
zingy white wines (the vast majority of
which ring up at $15 or less). Though
there are a number of other vintners who
make different types of wine, they can
feel overlooked. Is New Zealand’s image
stuck on Sauvignon Blanc?
Jenny Dobson, a Hawkes Bay–based
consulting winemaker, sighs quietly
when the issue of Sauvignon Blanc’s
dominance comes up. She agrees that it
can feel like the grape is being pushed
to center stage at the expense of other
varieties and styles, but she sees the
bright side as well. “At least people know
New Zealand makes wine,” she says,
then thinks about it a moment longer
before adding, “It’s how you ride the
coattails of Sauvignon Blanc.”
For those paying attention, New Zea-
land winemakers have been riding those
coattails with terrific results. There’s
momentum in several directions, from
cool-climate Pinot Noirs to world-class