Summer Patio Wines from New Zealand

We all spend more time on our patios entertaining during the summer months, and these sauvignon blancs from two New Zealand wineries will surely please your guests.

New Zealand has an excellent maritime climate for growing grapes. This southwest Pacific Ocean nation is comprised of a North Island and South Island separated by the Cook Strait. The north end of the South Island—a region known as Marlborough—is the birthplace of New Zealand’s winemaking industry. Marlborough overlooks the Cook Strait and is especially suited to vineyards, with long, warm summer days, cool nights, and rich alluvial soils that are perfect for happy grapes.

In the language of the native Maori people of New Zealand, ‘matua’ means the most senior one, the leader, the head of the family. Matua Winery was started in 1969 by two brothers, Bill and Ross Spence, who were the first to plant sauvignon blanc grapes in New Zealand. So you can see why they are considered the leaders that put New Zealand on the map for sauvignon blancs. They also produce an excellent pinot noir from Central Otago, a glacial valley with a short growing season, along with chardonnay and rose wines that can be enjoyed by everyone. The Matua Winery has won more awards than any other New Zealand winery, including New Zealand Producer of the Year at the 2016 International Wine and Spirits competition.

Another premier winemaker of the world-famous Marlborough region is Nikola Nobilo, a Croatian by birth who relocated to New Zealand in the late 1930s to avoid the rumblings of World War II. Nobilo settled in Auckland and began to shape the New Zealand wine industry by planting and producing high quality wines. As his success grew, the Nobilo family wineries grew to become New Zealand’s largest winemaker. Nobilo was named New Zealand’s Wine Producer of the Year in 2003, and the Nobilo Icon Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc took the silver for Best Sauvignon Blanc at the International Wine and Spirit competition in 2016.

If you like a refreshing wine with tropical flavors on a hot summer’s afternoon or night on your patio, then these sauvignon blancs will work for you. Enjoy these wines on their own as an aperitif or with chicken dishes, summer salads, or various seafood entrees. Both wines retail around $12.99 and can be found or ordered at your favorite wine retailer.

Look for these New Zealand sauvignon blancs at your favorite Acme Fresh Markets, Fishers Food, Heinen’s Markets, Giant Eagle, Buehler’s Fresh Foods, Mustard Seed and other fine wine retailers in the Greater Akron Area.

Wine Wisdom:  Most bottles of Bordeaux wine contain a blend of two or more grape varieties. Bordeaux is a region of France, not a grape. Wineries believe they can achieve more complex flavors and more enjoyable wines through blending, and experience has proved them right. Also, age is an important and delicate component of a wine’s character. It’s always better to drink a wine too soon than too late. A vast majority of wines should be consumed within the first one to five years of their bottling. As white wines age, they get darker in color, whereas red wines become lighter in color with age.