New Zealand Wine

[Moog]

I need some help in a work "discussion", I work with a kiwi, who keeps insisting that New Zealand Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc is a superior wine to Cloudy Bay Sauv Blanc. As far as I'm aware Cloudy bay is the finest Sauv Blanc to come out of New Zealand (or any other country for that matter) - anyone prove me right? Where are you when I need you Pinotage?

[Drewhound]

Have you tasted both? It's so much a matter of opinion I don't see how you can prove it. Not much help I know ;-(

[Moog]

I have tasted both, but my colleague hasn't

[AB.]

Cloudy Bay is what is known as a "cult wine" typifying NZ sauvignons. It is much much more expensive than Oyster Bay and keeps longer. So if that is how you judge superior, then yes it is. I'd say it is definately a better wine than Oyster Bay but that you get other NZ Sauvs, that are more reasonably priced and are as good or if not better than Cloudy Bay. With Cloudy Bay you pay for it's cult status.

[buchanan]

There are more excellent NZ Sauv Blancs than you can shake a stick at - reckon the two you mention fall into the well known category as much as anything. Last year spent a day doing a wine tour of 6 vinyards in the Napier area on a push bike (only slightly wobbly at then end ...) Each and every place had delicious Sav blancs - apparently its the "boutique", snaller places which are where its at now. PS to be fashionable you now need to move onto the pinot noir.

[Pinotage]

Both are good wines. I think CB is not as good as it was when it gained its reputations, reasons are they are producing it in much, much larger quantities than before, and many of the vineyards that supplied their grapes decided to start making their own wines.

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The 2003 vintage CB is very good, much better than 2002, and Tesco has it at 12 GBP last month.

.

However, whether it is better than Oyster bay - or any other SB is a matter of personal choice and allows many hours of happy discussion amongst wine lovers. I recommend Wither Hills as a superb SB, and also from South Africa, Springfield Estate 'Life from Stone', 7.50 GBP from Wine Society and others.

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Sorry for delay in replying, and thanks for the name check. Where I am is Stellenbosch, South Africa, judging a wine competition.

[Moog]

Thank you Pinotage and others, the discussion rumbles on - we're arranging a blind tasting to resolve!

[jonnyk]

I've recently tried both and feel the CB is a superior wine in that it has a smoother finish. If youmprefer the sharper acidic versions i can suggest Lawsons Dry Hills as one of the finest .Personal taste has a lot to do with it but if you can blind taste the two i can gaurantee u will pick CB 9 times out of 10