Sauvignon Blanc / Pinot Gris Blends ... what the???

Phil runs the best wine tours that have ever existed in known human history. (Apart from that Thracian guy who used to tear around ancient Tuscany in a chariot getting tourists tipsy for silver coins.)

Just recently I was sent two trade samples of The Latest Thing – a blend of Sauv Blanc and Pinot Gris.

Now, I am not a fan of Sauv Blanc at all, so I can’t pretend to be completely objective about these wines.

But as a wine writer – you have to know how to recognise a good wine, even if it’s not to your personal taste.
Sewww … if you are a fan of crisply acidic, pungent Savvies – then you would probably love this blend.

Thus I apologise – in advance, to the NZ winemaking fraternity, the Governor General and John Hawkesby, for any following comments that may offend.

To my palate – I couldn’t tell it from a standard green acidic, dissolve yer fillings, Marlborough Savvie. Further to that, I have it on good authority that the blend is about 5% Pinot Gris/95% Sauv Blanc – so what’s the point? A cynic would say that we have a glut of unsold Sauv Blanc (after a combination of two bumper harvests and two years of global recession) and that maybe it’s just an excuse for large wineries to flick off excess wine by calling it a blend.

You might say that.  I couldn't possibly comment.