Could aged Sauvignon steal the show this Christmas?

You heard it here first. Aged New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will be festooning Christmas tables this year, with one UK retailer backing it as the white of the season. Sarah Neish gets under the skin of the trend.

This week, two new wines from Marlborough producer te Pā hit Co-op stores, one of which is its Signature Series Reserve Barrel-Fermented Sauvignon Blanc. Ordinarily, this might not be breaking news. However, the ferocity with which the retailer went after this particular listing hints at an emerging trend with regards to the bottles that could be gracing our Christmas wine fridges.

Aged whites have long been a fixture on the festive table. But while white Burgundies are largely made from Chardonnay, and white Riojas from Viura or Garnacha Blanca, aged Sauvignon Blancs have flown under the radar, at least on a commercial scale. Therefore it’s a sizeable gamble, or as te Pā’s head winemaker Sam Bennett calls it, “a ballsy move”, for the Co-op to go big on this wine style. And big it has gone.

According to Bennett, the retailer initially requested 5,000 six-bottle cases of the barrel-fermented Sauvignon, but due to time restraints te Pā was able to supply 840 cases for the initial order.

Speaking exclusively to the drinks business, Bennett says: “We had to pull it together pretty quickly. We had just eight weeks to order all the labels with the correct legal wording, finish making the wine, have it bottled at our Marlborough facility and ship it over to the UK. Now I need a few months to calm down!”

Barrel-fermented Sauvignon, he adds, “is usually a hand-sell as you have to explain it a bit. If you’re expecting a fresh, zippy New Zealand Sauvignon you’ll be in for a surprise.”

Point of difference

This is exactly the point of difference that the Co-op is looking for. Wine buyer Ed Robinson tells db that te Pā’s barrel-fermented expression “highlights the real diversity that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc can offer, with a more complex and intriguing character that makes it a fantastic food wine.

“While it may not be for everyone—especially fans of the classic, fruit-led Marlborough style—we believe the boldness and depth conferred by the oak will intrigue and excite wine lovers looking for something different from New Zealand. This is a wine that truly stands out and represents great value for those seeking a step up in complexity.”

Is an RRP of £14 ambitious given consumers’ lack of familiarity with the style?

“It’s a premium offer,” says Robinson. “The £14 price, which is in line with the market, reflects both the quality and the unique style it brings to our range, which comes with higher production costs compared to the more widely available, fruit-forward Marlborough styles.”

Added texture and richness

Speaking to db, Fabian Yukich, the new chair of the New Zealand Board of Directors, explained that the use of oak among the nation’s producers is gaining traction.

“As winemakers explore the versatility of the variety, the use of oak and barrel fermentation has become more common, as it adds further complexity and ageing potential,” he says.

Describing the difference between younger and barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc, he explains: “The classic New Zealand Sauvignon style is zesty, fresh, and vibrant, bursting with citrus, passionfruit, and capsicum characters, while barrel-aged expressions are richer, creamier, and more complex, layered with vanilla, spice, and riper fruit flavours that add aromatic depth.”

The UK market has wholly embraced “the fresh, vibrant styles,” Yukich acknowledges. “At the same time, I am encouraged by results that a smaller number of producers are getting to explore aged and oak-influenced styles that offer something different.”

Meteoric rise

However, aged Sauvignon hasn’t always hit the mark. While te Pā’s Bennett reveals that barrel-fermented is becoming “more of a focus for us”, he admits he hasn’t always been able to move it. “We struggled to sell it for a long time,” he says. “I think it may have had something to do with the Fumé Blanc wines from California, which could be a bit clumsy, and the UK saw a lot of those wines.”

Then about two years ago, there was a sharp escalation in interest.

“Suddenly everyone wanted it,” he says. “We were on our 2018 vintage of these wines, and in two years we sold out of the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.”

The 2024 vintage is the one about to hit Co-op shelves.

According to Bennett, as a result of this interest, “we’ll be increasing the production [of our barrel-fermented Sauvignon] massively because we want to sell the wine with a bit of age.”

Festive favourite

The newly won popularity of aged Sauvignon arrives just in time for the festive season. The way to persuade consumers to drink more New Zealand Sauvignon at Christmas time, Bennett says, “is through a richer, barrel-fermented style of wine that has the ability to evolve in the glass.” He adds that aged Sauvignon is perfect for sipping by the fire, the smell of “a big turkey in the oven” wafting from the kitchen.

“In New Zealand, anything goes on Christmas day,” he reveals. “We eat turkey, roast lamb or seafood like crayfish. And in my house it’s Champagne morning, noon and night, and maybe a little white Burgundy but a barrel-fermented Sauvignon will make a nice addition for this year as it can also handle lobster in a rich, buttery sauce.”

Why choose it over other, better-known aged whites for arguably the most important meal of the year?

“An aged New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc will have a different flavour profile to white Burgundy and white Rioja with more subtle fruit-driven aromatics but added texture and richness,” says Yukich. “It will also deliver great value at an affordable price point in comparison to, say, Burgundy. An aged Sauvignon will also have great depth and palate balance, making it extremely versatile for food pairing. For consumers looking for a bright, fresh, but nuanced wine that’s interesting and complex, aged New Zealand Sauvignon offers a compelling choice.”

Funky winemaking

In terms of the winemaking, te Pā hand-picks the grapes for its barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, and whole bunch presses them directly to the barrel so that the liquid goes “cloudy”.

“It can get quite funky,” says Bennett. “The first time I did it I thought I’d messed it up. But you need to have patience and leave it alone without sulphur for about eight months until that funk drops down to background noise.” Cigar-shaped barrels are used to house the wine which increases the surface area in contact with the lees.

The result, says Bennett, is “a complex, layered wine, which is a bit more robust” and expresses different aromatics over time as you swirl it in your glass “from five-spice and stonefruit to mint, then aniseed, a bit of pineapple and guava, and some crème brûlée from the time spent on lees”. A vein of salinity also runs through all of te Pā white wines due to the vineyard’s proximity to the Wairau Bar, and the new barrel-fermented Sauvignon is no exception with an intriguing “briney” undertone.

On-trade style for a slip of the price

Of interest to bargain-hunters will be the fact that the aged Sauvignon Blanc destined for the Co-op undergoes “exactly the same winemaking” as te Pā’s premium Oke Sauvignon Blanc, just with slightly less time in barrel (a minimum of 11 months as opposed to up to 15 months) due to the urgency of getting the order out to the UK market. At retail Oke (2020) is priced at about £2o via Soho Wines. However, Schenk Family UK is tasked with distributing Oke to the UK on-trade, where it will have a restaurant price of about £45, making the Co-op’s £14 price point an attractive one.

According to Bennett, the Co-op has already logged their order for next year’s wine, showing it’s confidence in the product. And 2025 is expected to be an exceptional vintage. Due to a bumper yield in 2025, “for the first time in years, everyone was picking to a yield target,” says Bennett. “It’s hard to leave grapes on the vine when demand is so strong and you know you can sell those grapes and generate cash.” But this year, he says, “all winemakers were on the same page about leaving significant quantity of grapes unharvested” to preserve quality”

Describing the growing process, he added: “I’ve never seen anything like it. Every single little flower set into a big healthy berry.” Bennett explains that te Pā used harvest machines to “shake off a lot of berries”, a technique where instead of picking grapes, the vines are shaken and grapes knocked off onto the ground. This takes place before bunch closure, meaning the vine has “a physiological response to the stress of being shaken, making the skin thicken on the grapes. It makes it a bit more disease-resistant,” says Bennett.

The method “has been widespread this year, and probably will be again next year.”

As for whether aged Sauvignon will become the hero white wine of Christmas 2025, only time will tell.

“These wines bring extra texture and complexity while still retaining the brightness and energy people expect from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc,” says Yukich. “For consumers who who want something special for the Christmas table, these aged or barrel-fermented examples are a natural fit, and add a touch of luxury.”