Tricky Harvest no Barrier for Champion Sauvignon Blanc

Tricky Harvest no Barrier for Champion Sauvignon Blanc

Image: Richard Briggs Photography

Sauvignon Blanc was a stand out for Vavasour Wines at the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, who took home two Sauvignon Blanc category trophies.

Their Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2022 shone in the WineWorks Champion Sauvignon Blanc, Current Vintage category, despite a tricky growing season.

Winemaker Susan Van Der Pol says the winemaking team was grateful to their viticulture colleagues for their hard work in the Awatere Valley vineyard prior to harvest 2022.

“The vineyard team did an awesome job in a tricky year to bring us great fruit to work with,” she says.

“As the ferments were progressing we felt we had something pretty special in the winery, so for blending we were spoilt for options. It was then a matter of exercising restraint and trying to capture the essence and purity of the variety, while also showing texture and palate weight that a good Sauvignon Blanc should have; drinkability is important.”

Making great wines that people love to drink, and which reflect a sense of time and place is a key focus for Vavasour Wines, who were delighted to receive the award.

“Sauvignon Blanc is the variety to put New Zealand on the global stage, and Marlborough is the home of NZ Sauv, so in that context we are super proud to bring home the trophy,” Susan says.

The company was also pleased to see their early faith in the Awatere Valley paying off, noting that Sauvignon Blancs from the subregion were strong across the board this year.

“We were the first company to see the potential in the Awatere Valley and this time has allowed us to learn the nuances of this valley. 2022 was a challenging harvest which played to the strength of the Awatere subregion,” Susan says.

“The fruit ripens more slowly compared to the Wairau, and allows for better flavour development, contributing to wines with greater depth of flavours and longevity. A lot of the rain events which made conditions challenging in the Wairau Valley never made it over the hill, and those that did arrived at beneficial times for us.”

WineWorks General Manager Damien Gillman says sponsoring this award was fitting, as packaging and processing sauvignon blanc accounts for more than 80% of the company’s work each year.

“Supporting both the Champion Current Vintage, and Champion 2021 & Older Sauvignon Blancs is an acknowledgement of the innovation and experience that goes into creating both category wine types,” he says. 

“We’re proud to sponsor our local wine show as part of our commitment to the NZ wine industry.”