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Brancott Estate debuts 'next big thing' Sauvignon Gris in UK

Published:  21 January, 2014

Pernod Ricard's Brancott Estate is debuting its Sauvignon Gris 2013, which it sees as "the next big thing" to the UK market.

The New Zealand brand has been building up to this since 2001, when it first planted 140 hectares of the varietal. It then carried out small batch releases to the New Zealand market to test the wine's reception.

Jamie Marfell, regional winemaker at Pernod Ricard New Zealand, said: "Brancott is heavily invested and started to do small batches release since 2004. We have 140 hectares. Now we are taking it to a commercial level.

"It was in early 2000 we found cuttings of New Zealand Sauvignon Gris. And we were looking for the next big thing. We wanted to see how it develops. We also needed understand how to grow it and when to pick it. It is not an established varietal. The UK is the first market is will be commercially released."

Brancott Estate's new Sauvignon Gris will debut in the UK market

Marfell said the wine's strength is "around the texture of the body and the structure is creamy" which he claims makes it different from its more famous New Zealand relation Sauvignon Blanc.

The wine will go on sale at rrp £10.49.

Brancott Estate is also launching a new more premium range, its Terroir Series, which includes a Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (rrp £12.49) and Pinot Noir 2013 (rrp £14.49). These wines should be available in the UK from summer 2014.

The range is made from grapes from the Awatere Valley showcasing the sub-regional diversity within Marlborough. Awatere Valley produces wines with "lifted aromatics and intense fruit flavours", which can be found in the new Terroir series wines. 

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