You reap what you sow, they say. And while that hard-hitting idiom may not necessarily correlate with the masses, it sure does speak volumes to respected viticulturists such as Cloudy Bay‘s Jim White whose demanding responsibilities include mastering the science, production and study of grapes, aside from tackling temperamental climate and weather conditions to ensure that award-winning wines are produced by the winery.
It evidently goes without saying that playing a key pioneering role in pinning New Zealand and in particular, Marlborough onto the world wine map was no easy feat and a prestigious accolade for Cloudy Bay, notably so as the wine producer had only been in operation for the past 30 years. Luckily for White, his monumental winemaking career has been nothing short of outstanding and constantly gratifying.
Annually on the first of October, Cloudy Bay unveils the year’s Sauvignon Blanc vintage and though the winemaker admittedly revealed that the 2017 vintage was the toughest vintage of his viticulture journey yet due to two cyclones in April that led the winery to reduce its production for the wine, the full-bodied 2017 vintage doesn’t lack superiority and showcases a substantial structure as well as concentration.
At a recent tasting event for the Sauvignon Blanc 2017 vintage held at Damansara City Mall’s Erawan, we chatted with Jim White himself about the first-class winery, the lowdown on Cloudy Bay’s prized Sauvignon Blanc, and how he prefers savouring his Sauvignon Blanc.
Q: Where exactly is Cloudy Bay and how does its environmental conditions favour wine-making?
Cloudy Bay is located at the Marlborough region, the northeastern tip of the South Island of New Zealand. We have a town of about 20,000 people, surrounded by vineyards, forests, the mountains and the sea. There is a good combination of climate and soils that is wonderful for wine-making.
Q: What is Cloudy Bay best known for?
Sauvignon Blanc has always been the number one variety for our region. The world knows Sauvignon Blanc because of New Zealand, and a lot of that is based on Cloudy Bay’s reputation. Those wines first got out into the world only 30 years ago, but now everyone knows Cloudy Bay.
Pinot Noir has taken us a little longer to plant on the right soils, and it’s more of a tricky grape variety to grow. With that said, Pinot Noir is known as the red wine of New Zealand, and we’ve got a cool climate that is well-suited to making great Pinot Noir.
Q: What is best paired with Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc?
It is a wine of fresh flavours with citrus and stonefruit, so it matches very well with seafood. I’ve been lucky enough to travel throughout Asia, so I get a range of cuisines. I look for particular elements in dishes to highlight the Sauvignon Blanc.
In Malaysia and Thailand, kaffir lime leaf and lemongrass work really well. I also had some amazing tofu dishes with Sauvignon Blanc in Japan, but it often comes down to the sauces. Coconut-based sauces work well too.
It’s a versatile wine, and it goes great with bright, punchy, fresh flavours in food, because the Sauvignon Blanc itself has a similar taste profile.
Q: What have you learned about the Malaysian palate and how does Cloudy Bay fit in?
In the past seven years of travelling here, I’ve found an interesting mix. The Malay cuisine has elements that are similar to that of Thailand, then you’ve got Chinese food and even the Peranakan food in Malacca, aside from the richer Indian fare. All these different influences make the food here quite complex, and go really well with our Sauvignon Blanc.
The Pinot Noir excels right away with lamb and beef dishes. They don’t overpower the food too much, but showcase just the right amount of intensity that it still stands strong on its own, even with pretty strong spices. Chilli is sometimes difficult to pair with wine, but that broad variety of spices here in Malaysia surely do.
Q: How has the international interest in the Sauvignon Blanc been, principally in Asia?
If someone says they like New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc, Cloudy Bay instantly comes to mind, rightfully so as the premiere wine of New Zealand.
It’s all about the foundations we’ve established in the past 30 years. We’re quality-focused, so we pay our attention to the location of our vineyards to continue producing beautiful flavours and ensure consistency in our wines.
Luckily, we make way more wine than we did when we originally started, so that means people can have access to our wines all over the world. When we made our first vintage, it was only sold in Australia and the U.K., and now we export over 96% of the wines we make to the world.
Q: Will Cloudy Bay be venturing into new varieties in the upcoming future?
We only grow three grape varieties – Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Lots of wineries love experimenting with new grape varieties from other parts of the world, but we’re very focused on just doing these three, but doing them better than anyone else.
In the recent years, we experimented with a new region called Central Otago where we make our Pinot Noir called Te Wahi. That has been the first wine we’ve brought into our portfolio of wines in a long time. It’s been a really exciting journey exploring different places.
Q: What does the future hold for Cloudy Bay?
We’d like to do what we do, but get better at it. Focusing on the fine details of the vineyards really drives the quality of our wines, and that focus progresses throughout the wine-making process. We need to maintain and elevate the position of Cloudy Bay, and New Zealand wines in the world.
Q: What makes a good Sauvignon Blanc for you?
It needs to have a lovely, bright aromatic nose led by citrus, lemon, lime, grapefruit, and a little touch of sweet, herbal characteristics, and a hint of tropicals.
On the palate, it must not only deliver this explosion of flavour, but needs to have weight and concentration, as well as that acidity that gives the wine beautiful length.
That’s exactly our Sauvignon Blanc. If I could only use one description for our Sauvignon Blanc, it would be delicious and just immensely pleasurable.
Q: How do you like your Sauvignon Blanc the best?
Back home, we collect fresh scallops from the seabed via scuba diving. Then, we literally jump up on the back of the boat, get a knife, open the fresh scallop, uncooked, take it straight out of the shell, almost still pulsing, and have it with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
It’s that beautiful combination of saltiness and brininess of the sea, with the sweetness of the scallops with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s the perfect match for me. We’re very lucky. We’ve got lots of cold water around us and the scallops are wonderful.
In all parts of the world, they say the perfect thing to go with wines comes from its local surrounds. For us, that’s the ideal pairing. The ocean is very important in retaining that climate around us, and just being able to harvest those wild scallops is a great opportunity we have.
Scallops are in season from the end of August until February, but you have to get a boat, go out to sea and dive about 10 to 15 meters. It takes effort, but it’s very rewarding. We have amazing produce available to us, and if you love to cook, you can eat like a king where we are.
Q: How rewarding has your career been thus far?
I have many marvellous opportunities to drink Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc, and it’s the combination of many, many years of hard work. And one beautiful thing about my job is that I get to taste the results of my hard work. Sometimes, I believe we’re in the enjoyment business and that’s nice.
I love growing things. The wine industry is a great opportunity not only to grow plants, but also to experience the process and the impact of all the things we do in the vineyards. Then, we enjoy the results out in the marketplace and with consumers.
People often talk about the memories they have had with our wines. It takes them back, whether it was a honeymoon or holiday. Cloudy Bay brings people great memories, and it’s a magnificent thing for us – to bring people a product that they use in the process of them enjoying their lives.
Cloudy Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc 2017 Vintage launched nationwide in Malaysia on October 1st 2017. For more information on Cloudy Bay and all of its offerings, access www.cloudybay.co.nz.
