Sipping
Summertime Wine
Jacqueline Coleman is a certified Sommilier and 4th generation Miamian, born and raised in Coral Gables. You can find her musings about the “wine lifestyle” on her blog, History & Wine (historyandwine.com), or follow her on Twitter @HistoryandWine.
A summertime of wine drinking is upon us! Similar to seasonal fashion trends, as it gets hot hot hot outside, we see certain wines gaining or losing popularity with the change in weather. Heavier varietals such as the big reds are just not as enticing to sip in the heat as they were when the weather was slightly less sticky. If you are like many wine drinkers, you want a “go-to” wine that is appropriate for each individual season. So, what is the best summertime wine treat? New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, of course! It is hard to find a wine that pairs better with poolside lounging than the chilled grapefruity-citrus zing of this refreshing varietal from the islands of the South Pacific. A Special “Kiwi” Island Wine Sauvignon Blanc is by far the most important varietal in New Zealand, despite the fact that we see Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the area increasingly booming in popularity. Chardonnay was actually more widely planted back in the 80s, and still is in terms of total acreage, but suffered a decline in consumer popularity when her fruitier nemesis, Sauvignon Blanc, burst on the scene with the stunning success of Cloudy Bay’s 1985 vintage. Despite being a tropical-tasting wine producer, New Zealand actually has the coolest climate for wine production in all of the New World. The Central Otago region on the South Island is the closest wine region to the South Pole. Because there is such a significant temperature difference between the areas in the far north of the North Island, and the Central Otago region, a good vintage in one part of the country dœs not necessarily mean a good vintage in another area. Marlborough, at the northern tip of the South Island, is by far the best known of the wine-producing regions in the country, with the sharpest of styles. Sauvignon Blanc from this area typically has strong flavors of citrus on the palate, and herbal, or grassy notes on the nose, making for a truly untamed wine (Sauvignon means “savage”, or “wild” in French). Other areas of the country produce wines with more rounded and pronounced passion fruit and mango flavors. Hawke’s Bay and Gisbourne, both on the North Island, are two popular regions that come in at a (distant) second and third in production. Despite the fact that New Zealand’s wine industry is tiny in comparison to other wine-producing countries, it is hard to deny the scope and popularity of the tropical and vibrant New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Cheers to this summertime wine!