New Zealand offers taste of the unexpected

A new label is looking to showcase the diversity of New Zealand wines beyond the ever-present Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Left Field wines are created to show what the winemaking team calls “the weird and the wonderful.”

You might also call them a taste of the undiscovered country.

The new concept label launches this month in Canada with the release of the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc from Nelson, a sunny spot on the South Island that delivers wines with more ripeness and concentration than the classic zesty and bright Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc style.

The Left Field lineup also includes a Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris, Gisborne Albariño and Hawke’s Bay Syrah.

The range’s Pinot Noir, Syrah and Rosé bottles are slated for limited release later this summer.

A boutique operation owned by Villa Maria Estate, Te Awa is based in Hawke’s Bay, where it makes a smart range of premium single vineyard from its estate. Left Field is its more affordable label that sources grapes from around the country.

Launching a new wine is never easy, particularly in a market saturated with popular established brands. Launching a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc poses an even bigger challenge when it comes from outside the conventional growing area.

However, it’s a risk worth taking.

If the audience for Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand isn’t ready to try something different now, then when?

Certainly the continued success for the popular Matua brand’s Sauvignon Blanc from Hawke’s Bay suggests that Canadians are open to new taste sensations coming from vineyards outside of Marlborough.

Plus a dynamic new bottle on the shelf might be just the thing to attract attention back to the New Zealand section for those that wandered off in search of something new and exciting.