Getting up at 5am on a Tuesday morning is nobody’s idea of fun, but with the anticipation of what lay ahead, the pain was somewhat eased. This year was my first visit to London’s International Wine Fair. Our Chief Taster, Mike, had been before but this time he wanted the Wine Evangelist (moi) to experience it for himself.

This trade-only event is essentially a way of bringing winemakers from all around the world to one place, so wine merchants can meet suppliers and find additional wines to add to their portfolio. The number of wineries and countries on show was simply staggering. I was delighted to see the effort made by lesser known wine producing nations, such as Croatia and Brazil, who had fantastic representation.

Among the highlights, we caught up with some of our Australian partners. Scott Collett and his son Max took us through the Woodstock range, which is undoubtedly one of our strongest collections in terms of all-round appeal. We were fortunate to try some 2010 wines literally straight from the tank. The 2010 Semillon Sauvignon is going to be excellent, as is the benchmark 2009 vintage, and The Stocks 2007 is another world-beater. He also had a 20 year old fortified, which his dad had set the foundations for all those years ago. I needed to be picked up off the floor after the first taste. Stunning is an understatement.

Ben Glaetzer (see interview) was showing more tremendous vintages from the Glaetzer range, proving once again why he is still one of Barossa’s finest winemakers, and Brent Marris of The Ned poured us his 2010 Sauvignon Blanc which might just top the award winning ‘09… we’ll have to wait and see as it will continue to evolve and develop over the next few months in bottle.

Of the Old World crowd, we bumped into Eric Monnin, who has finally bottled his hugely anticipated 2007 Dignite Syrah. Just as well as we’ve sold out of the ‘05. Romain Bouchard was showing his IWSC Gold Medal winning Chablis, which continues to set the bar in that category, but perhaps the biggest ‘wow’ factor was during a tasting of Duval Leroy’s epic line-up, which featured 11 different Champagnes in the space of an hour (gotta love this job), including the 1996 La Femme, which won a Gold Medal and Best in Class at the 2010 IWSC, and continues to eclipse the volume-driven Champagne producers on the supermarket shelves.

Watch this space, or sign up to our newsletter, for news on exciting new additions to the range this summer.

The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2009 has recently been awarded Blue Gold and ranked in the Top 100 at this year’s Sydney International Wine Show, which is one of the few shows in the world to judge wines based on their ‘food-friendly’ characteristics. Blue-Gold Medals are awarded to the highest scoring Gold Medal wines selected from the 2000 wines submitted for judging.

“It’s another plaudit for our Sauvignon Blanc which, thanks to this year’s exceptional vintage, we’ve described as bright vibrant, energy in the bottle. It’s that good!” said The Ned proprietor, Brent Marris. This single vineyard wine has subtle fruit sweetness against acidity, giving a soft yet dry finish.

It’s just the fourth vintage for The Ned, the label established by Brent in Marlborough’s Waihopai Valley. “Our Sauvignon Blanc is instantly recognisable for its pure Marlborough flavours and it’s a perfect match with seafood so we’re very pleased with this recognition from the main Australian wine event that guides consumer choice,” he said.

Here’s what the judges had to say about The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2009:

Warren Gibson
Vibrant and lifted. It seems very youthful with fermentation esters apparent. Some greener notes on the palate. Good vibrant acidity. Excellent match with the goat cheese flavours and a beautifully lingering food match.

Liam McElhinney
Lime and currant aromas. Quite dominant on the nose. Very complex aromas with hints of minerality showing through. The palate was quite focused. Very mineral driven flavours. Quite good persistence. The acidity of the wine was well matched with the cheese, however the herbal marriage of the cheese and the wine was missing.

Steve Flamstead
Fresh lychees. Some residual sugar. A juicy palate. Full of fruit with hints of tropical.

Peter Marks
A little subdued at the beginning. Maybe some creamy character on the palate, maybe even some neutral oak that might have subdued the fruit a little bit.  The goat cheese roulade tended to overwhelm the wine a bit but at the same time there was a creamy texture that the food seemed to bring out in the wine which complemented the food very nicely.

Tony Allen
Very ripe on the nose. Almost shows a Muscat on the front of the palate. Has lots of sherbet lemon acidity and concentration on the mid palate. It accentuated several flavours within the dish and refreshed the mouth.

Source: thened.co.nz and top100wines.com

In the second of our winemaker interviews, we have one of the movers and shakers of the New Zealand wine industry talking exclusively to Curious Wines - Brent Marris of The Ned. If you’re still playing catch up, click here for a little about the man himself.

1. Apart from Sauvignon Blanc, which grapes excite you to work with? Are you experimenting with any new varietals at the Ned?

For me the search for the “holy grail” is all about Pinot Noir. It would have to be the most exciting variety to work with, dream about and drink!! It is often considered the prince of all the classic varieties. It is a transparent variety to turn into wine - get it wrong and it will always remind you!  It is notoriously fickle and that is half the challenge. Marlborough produce some of the worlds best Pinot Noirs and I am pleased to be part of that success.

We will be harvesting our first Viognier this year….that will be exciting!

2. What is your opinion on the use of oak in the production of Sauvignon Blanc?

I believe a little barrel fermentation in Sauvignon Blanc can be a good thing as long as you do not know it is there.

The 3 to 4% oak gives lovely mouth feel without deterring anything away from the fruit of the wine.

I have chosen however not to do this for The Ned as I love the way the site express’ the clean bright characters and the mouth feel that is already there due to the lighter crop we harvest from our vines.

3. What is the highlight of making your own wine? What part of the process do you most enjoy?

The highlight of making my own wine is seeing it being enjoyed by everyday consumers in restaurants and cafes. To take land, plant vines, grow a crop, turn it into wine and then brand and sell it is an extremely satisfying job. But to then be at a restaurant and watch people getting enjoyment from all those hours of input is fantastic!

The part of the process I enjoy most is walking through the vineyards just prior to harvest and determining what block is to be harvested. Watching the fruit change over the days leading up to harvest is very exciting.

The next great enjoyment is blending. Taking all the different parcels of fruit, making them into wine, keeping them separate through fermentation and then finally bringing them together for the final blend. It makes you feel like a real creator!

4. If you couldn’t make any more wine in New Zealand, where would you go to make it?

Italy. Part of winemaking is also about the culture. Making wine in Italy would be so cool as the food, language and sense of family seem very strong. I have loved visiting the wine growing regions and feel they have become more innovative over the years. Couple this with the food and culture and you have a great winemaking opportunity and life style.

5. What do you feel is the long-term outlook for the New Zealand wine industry?

Very exciting! We are going through growing pains presently with the volume of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc on the market, but I see this as being somewhat sorted over the next two years.

We have a wonderful climate through out NZ and have proven we can make regionally distinctive world class wines. I believe with the level of winery innovation, vineyard development and dedicated focus on doing our best, the industry is in for an exciting time.

Big thanks to Brent Marris, and to our readers for your contribution.

Our range from Brent and John Marris.

“Blue skies, green grass and cold water”. That was the vision of Brent Marris, head winemaker at The Ned. His aim was to produce a Sauvignon Blanc that would reflect what New Zealand is all about. Well Brent… job done!

To view product page and for more details, click on The Ned Sauvignon Blanc.

Thanks to the wonderful feedback on Ben Glaetzer’s recent appearance on the Curious Blog, we’ve managed to attract yet another world-class winemaker, this time from New Zealand, and again, we need your help to ask the questions!

So what do you want to know about one of New Zealand’s most respected winemakers? Whether it’s about the business, the market, the vineyards, the winemaking process, we want to hear from you. The top 5 questions will be used. We’ll also be asking on Twitter and our Facebook page. Feel free to leave a comment below, or email me at matt@curiouswines.ie

Marlborough born and raised, it is not surprising that Brent Marris has devoted his life to viticulture. Brent became the region’s first born and raised qualified winemaker, graduating from Roseworthy Agricultural College (South Australia) in 1983, with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Oenology (winemaking).

With more than twenty years grape growing, winemaking and marketing experience, his history of crafting wines for the world are testament to his skill and passion. Brent is one of New Zealand’s most respected winemakers and has been at the forefront of New Zealand’s viticultural development. His outstanding ability to blend varietals in a manner that best represents regional style and character is renowned.

Brent’s passion for wine spills over into his busy family life - he and his wife Rosemary are encouraging their four daughters - who are developing a keen nose and are working on their palates.

The Ned Sauvignon Blanc

The Ned Pinot Grigio

“I knew immediately it had enormous potential”, claimed Brent Marris, founder and former chief at Wither Hills, as he looked back on his search in 2003 for a special vineyard property that could become the iconic hub of a future winery. Relying on a vast knowledge of the area built up as a youngster exploring the landscape that is Marlborough, he discovered an exceptional 268 hectare property on the banks of Waihopai River.

He continued, “Tucked between the Delta hills and the Waihopai River the property flows over three distinct terraces of clays and ancient river shingles providing the fruit variation and complexity that a winemaker can normally only dream of from a single vineyard site.”

Brent’s vision is to produce a Sauvignon Blanc that reflects what New Zealand is all about - blue skies, green grass and cold water. He wanted to go back to what Marlborough is famous for, which is wine full of sharp citrus, gooseberry and herbaceous flavours. Opposite, of course, to some of the current overripe tropical fruit juice wines that may have been creeping their way into our weekly shop.

Named after one of the tallest rugged peaks to the south-east of the vineyard, the Ned is a deeply personal project for Marris. “I grew up in Marlborough and I spent countless hours hiking and biking in this area. The summit of the Ned, with its views across to the North Island and out to the Pacific Ocean, is a place I remember very clearly. I wanted to celebrate my Marlborough heritage by using a local icon as the symbol for my new brand.”

Brent Marris is one of the movers and shakers of the New Zealand wine industry. His father, John, was one of the first to plant Sauvignon Blanc vines in Marlborough, so his love and passion for the area and the wines it can produce runs deeply.

Matthew Jukes (Daily Mail) described the 2007 vintage as “the purest expression of Sauvignon Blanc I have ever tasted”. I would say that Matthew is not too far off the mark.

Click here to view the Ned Sauvignon Blanc, which is a particular favourite of @conoro