Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2004 - Sainsbury's Classic Selection

Well a day or two ago a friend came round and brought this with them. She is a self-acknowledged wine neophyte and tends to ensure tasty drinking by spending a little more than might be necessary on a Tuesday night in.

Though New Zealand wines are not always noted for their value for money (compared to perhaps Australians), this Sauvignon Blanc was not too expensive at around £6. It is Sainsbury’s own Marlborough from their ‘Classic Selection’, which I think is a step up from their straight own-brand. The Marlborough area (northeast of the south island) is renowned for producing some of the finest sauvignon blancs on the planet. Clearly a modern wine, designed to be drunken asap and sold with a screw top. It was a nice sauvignon blanc, and from the fridge into the glass the high expectations that I had (I have had good experiences of NZ wine in the past and tend to look out for it down at the offie’) were confirmed with an attractive pale gold colour and a distinctive, zesty nose.

The flavours were crisp and a strong hint of gooseberries came through quite clearly. I don’t think that we gave the wine a truly fair chance as we were eating pasta with an arrabiata sauce, but despite the spicy food, this sauvignon blanc provided a refreshing accompaniment that managed to hold its own in terms of flavour. If pushed to give it a score I would say around 7 out of 10. Certainly one of the better white wines I have had in the past few weeks. Hoorah, and thanks to Vanessa for buying it.