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A VERY
Brancott Estate was the first winery to plant Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough
and now it's leading the way with an exciting alternative: Sauvignon Gris
S
ometimes you have to ignore what
everyone around you is saying
and just follow your heart. �at's
exactly what Frank Yukich did
in 1975, when he planted the very first
Sauvignon Blanc vines in Marlborough at
Brancott Vineyard. "In the early 1970s, the
conventional wisdom in the New Zealand
wine industry was that wine grapes would
not ripen in the South
Island," explains
Philip Gregan, CEO
of New Zealand
Winegrowers.
�ankfully the
pioneering team at
Brancott Estate (then
Montana) didn't hold with conventional
wisdom and the Sauvignon Blanc vines
thrived, producing the first-ever bottle
of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in 1979.
�is decision proved to be one of the
most "momentous ever taken", according
to Gregan, as other growers quickly
followed suit and the phenomenon that is
Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was born.
�is remarkable history is central to
AGRISABLE
WINE
the winemaking philosophy at Brancott
Estate, where the quest for innovation and
love of ingenuity remains as strong as ever.
Today, chief winemaker Patrick Materman
continues the work that the original team
started. Since joining the winery in 1990
as a cellar hand, Materman has worked his
way up to chief winemaker, along the way
being named Winestate Magazine's New
Zealand Winemaker of the Year in 2001.
For Materman, what happens in the
vineyards is as important as his work in
the winery - and he's passionate about
the Marlborough region. �is passion,
combined with experience of more than
25 vintages, has given him a deep
technical knowledge - but his natural
curiosity means that he still wants to
learn more and reveal the true potential
of Marlborough - and his enthusiasm for
Sauvignon Gris is testament to this.
FRENCH EXCHANGE
Never heard of Sauvignon Gris? �at's
no surprise. �is pink-skinned grape is
not a cross between Sauvignon Blanc and
Pinot Gris as some people might think.
In fact, it originated in Bordeaux alongside
Sauvignon Blanc,
but fell out of favour
following the phylloxera
epidemic that devastated
vines across France in
the mid-19th century.
Trying to rebuild their
vineyards as quickly as
possible, vignerons chose to plant highercropping
varietals, meaning Sauvignon
Gris almost became extinct.
A few French producers do still grow
Sauvignon Gris, and when the team from
Brancott Estate discovered the variety
on a trip to Bordeaux, they suspected
this French grape would flourish in New
Zealand. "Sauvignon Gris was traditionally
grown alongside Sauvignon Blanc and we
"Our Sauvignon Gris is a rich, generous
wine that retains the fresh vibrancy
of Marlborough" Patrick Materman
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