Wendy’s wine sense takes her to Austria
Pohara winemaker and sensory scientist, Wendy Parr, with a bottle of Lackner-Tinnacher Sauvignon Blanc from Austria. Photo: Neil Wilson.
If you'd like to hear someone use the word "isopropylmethoxypyrazine" without batting an eye, have a chat with Pohara winemaker and sensory scientist, Wendy Parr.
Wendy returned recently from the inaugural World Congress for Sauvignon Blanc in Graz, in southern Austria. She was invited to speak at the congress because of her internationally recognised work in the field of the sensory perception of wine.
The congress organisers sought people from all over the winemaking world who had written about Sauvignon Blanc. About 30 speakers were invited from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Britain, the US, Russia and Austria.
"The idea of a Sauvignon Blanc congress being initiated by the Austrian industry came as a bit of a shock at first because New Zealand considers itself one of the best makers of the variety, and most of us didn't know much about Austrian Sauvignon Blanc," said Wendy. "We were all quite surprised. The region of Styria, in southern Austria, has been producing Sauvignon Blanc for quite a while. It's made by excellent winemakers. It's also very well balanced and can command high prices. Unlike its Marlborough counterpart, the Austrian wine can go the distance, keeping for three to five years."
Wendy's visit arose out of some experimental work she had done at the Wine Research Centre in Marlborough, looking at the flavour profiles of Sauvignon Blancs from France and from Marlborough. The Austrians asked if their wines could be included in Wendy's trials so they sent some of their wine. The results of the trials were just what the Austrian winemakers wanted to hear.
"In a nutshell, the trials established that the Austrian wines were an interesting combination of the classical French style from the Loire Valley and Sancerre, which have pronounced mineral notes, and the "new world" Marlborough style with its accent on fruitier and greener notes. The Austrians are keen to be seen as old-world winemakers producing new world wine, and my data showed that their Sauvignon is nicely positioned between the French expression of the variety and the Marlborough expression, with some similarities and some key differences. The data formed the basis of my address to the congress. What I tried to do was to make it clear that the different expressions of Sauvignon Blanc all have a place in the market and that there is no one correct way to make the wine."
Wendy said that she felt privileged to be one of the people representing New Zealand at the congress. "We were very well treated," she said. "One of the best things about the whole experience was that it brought scientists, industry people and masters of wine together in one place. Most talks were accompanied by a wine tasting. Saint Clair Estate in Marlborough provided a trophy-winning 2007 Sauvignon from their collection to exemplify the wine flavours I was talking about in quality Marlborough Sauvignons. After five days of tasting nothing but Sauvignon Blanc, though, we were almost craving a different taste-a beer or a red wine or something."
While in Austria for the congress, Wendy and her husband Philip Simpson travelled a few kilometres southwest of Graz to West Styria. There they met Vera Balzer's mother (Vera is the co-owner of the Sans Souci Inn at Pohara). Vera's mother introduced them to the racy Schlicher, an appellation-of-origin rose-style red wine that is the speciality of the region and goes well with local foods.
In case you're curious, isopropylmethoxypyrazine is the chemical compound that imparts the "green notes" to Sauvignon Blanc. In excess it can make the wine taste of tinned peas or tinned asparagus.
Neil Wilson
