Sauvignon Blanc Grapevine Improvement Programme update
Successfully generating a reference genome for Sauvignon Blanc is just one step towards improving New Zealand's most important grapevine variety, albeit a big one.
Wine Marlborough’s recently completed post event survey garnered a fantastic response from wineries, cellar doors, tour operators, restaurants, and bars to be involved in the inaugural ‘16 Days of Sauvignon’ in celebration of Sauvignon Blanc Day, with 27 mini events crammed into just 16 days in the region.
“The reason for reaching out to all businesses in Marlborough and asking them to jump on board with the celebrations was to involve the whole region, rather than those just in the wine industry itself, which is how we have celebrated Sauvignon Blanc Day in the past” says Wine Marlborough Marketing and Communication Coordinator, Harriet Wadworth.
With most events selling out, the ‘16 Days of Sauvignon’ was well received by those both living in and visiting Marlborough which is exactly what Wine Marlborough hoped to achieve, especially as the day occurs right around the exciting harvest period for Sauvignon Blanc.
Apart from the ‘16 Days of Sauvignon’, Wine Marlborough created Sauvignon HQ - a hub in the town’s CBD open each evening in the countdown towards the main event on May 5.
Working alongside Scotch Wine Bar, they were able to transform the outdoor space for all to enjoy, while having a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough and other regions around the world.
With the success of this year’s celebrations, the thinking caps are now on for International Sauvignon Blanc Day 2018, when the attention will turn to 2017 vintage wines from the harvest that has just been completed in Marlborough. The focus on next year’s event will be to highlight some of the best wines the region managed to produce from a season not without some weather events that had to be worked around to enable us to produce the wine styles Marlborough is famous for.
“Our survey indicates that the concept was a strong one and that it has built an excellent platform to launch International Sauvignon Blanc Day 2018 from” says Wadworth.
“Our focus for next year will be to reach out to our local businesses, wine lovers and the community once again but also to look for a larger reach across the globe to share our love for this special grape variety”.
