Wairau River Sav Blanc

So, my first post: Wairau River Sav Blanc. While it is pure coincidence that this is the first bottle I have drank since deciding to write about wine online, it is ironically extremely fitting. Wairau is in many ways the first "bottle" of wine that I was excited about. After having this bottle out to dinner in South Beach (yes, much warmer than the present Ithaca), I hunted it down via an awesome local wine shop. I have ordered 4 bottles since them, equally impressed every time. While the bottle does have your basic SB characteristics, there are some differences that make this bottle notable: namely, the green bean notes and the dry, tannin-esque finish.

The most important portion of this site really isnt what I drank, when I drank it, and what I thought. TO be blunt: what do I know? The meat of what I want this site to be is in the learning and in the exploration. As such, whenever I post a wine, I am also going to have a short discussion--i.e., facts about SB, where its is grown well, basic profiles, and info on the vineyard. All of this is in hopes that the brief passer by will see more than just a guy drinking, but find some take-away value underlined with humor and sarcasm.

So when thinking about New Zealand, the normal progression is New Zealand-->SB--> Marlborough, and for good reason. This region, located on the northern portion of New Zealand's south island boast the ultimate climate for SB grapes and the fruit-forward characteristics Marlborough is known for: warm days and cool nights. Specifically, the bottle above hails from the Wairau Vally, home to the river that shares its name. Wairau Valley's soil is comprised of slate covered with soil that runs in bands in the east-to-west direction. This soil concentrations causes the grapes to struggle, and imparts grassy rather than tropical notes. While SB dominates NZ's exports, Pinot Noir is gaining notoriety on the south island as well.