Last time I was banging on about Bordeaux style blends in New Zealand, but red blends are not the end of the story. White wine is often blended too, for exactly the same reasons. Blends that you will most likely come across here are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon or Chardonnay and Viognier, but some wonderfully forward thinking winemakers are blending other varietals, and even managing to sell some despite our great resistance to the idea of blended wines, usually aromatic varietals in the style of what is called “gentil” in Alsace.
These wines can be a little confusing, in that “can’t quite put my finger on it, it’s on the tip of my tongue” way. They can also be expensive. The good news is that there are a few blended whites out there that have deliberately been pitched at an affordable price point. Te Whare Ra’s “Toru” ($25.00), a blend of Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris is an easy choice.
A leap up in both complexity and price, there’s John Forrest’s ambitious offering from his John Forrest Collection, a selection of top tier wines. Called simply “The White”, it’s blended from Viognier, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer, though the blend varies each vintage according to the quality of the fruit. This is not everyday drinking, at $50 - $60 dollars, but it’s worth it.
If you’d rather stick to single varietal whites, you may be surprised to find that you have probably been drinking blended wines blissfully unawares. It is legally possible in New Zealand for a wine claiming to be a single varietal to contain up to 10% of another grape variety or varieties. Now, call me a conspiracy theorist, but I reckon there’s a disparity between the amount of Gewurztraminer grown and the amount bottled. Next time you nod approvingly at the particularly spicy aromatics in that glass of Pinot Gris, spare a thought for the Gewurztraminer that has selflessly forgone recognition for its hard work in enhancing the natural attributes of it’s stage-hogging cousin. Just quietly, I reckon there’s a wee splash (or more) in quite a few of the Pinot Gris on the market.
The sooner we accept we’re already drinking quite a lot of blended white wines and start actually experimenting with the ones crafted and labelled as such, the better!
Wine of the week : Te Whare Ra “Toru” ($25.00) This is a delicious drop, with plenty of delicate florals and pear on the nose, a hint of tropical fruit and honey. In the mouth a slight mealiness underpins the fruit, a silky texture and lingering finish.