The unique edge to New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc

The Upper Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand

Ko te amorangi ki mua, te hāpai ō ki muri. Leadership to the fore, we all have important roles to play.

Rangatiratanga is one of our core values. It’s about excellence in all that we do and leading by example; whether it’s through the way we care for our people, our environmental practices, or outstanding winemaking.

As we reflect on world Sauvignon Blanc Day, it got us thinking about rangatiratanga and how far we’ve come – not only in our own business, but as a country – in just a few decades of wine production.

Sauvignon blanc was the first wine to put New Zealand on the map. Back in the 1970s when the first sauvignon blanc grapes were planted in Marlborough, no one could have predicted the superstar status it would attain within a couple of decades. It is now New Zealand’s most widely planted varietal, with a cult following of millions around the globe. The vibrant flavours of New Zealand sauvignon blanc have dazzled wine critics throughout the world, setting the international benchmark for the style.

In 1998 we joined the scene as the world’s first Māori-owned wine company, just as Marlborough sauvignon blanc was starting to gain recognition internationally. Today, Tohu and Kono Wines’ sauvignon blanc is enjoyed all over the world. Over the years our wines have been recognised through many prestigious awards and accolades including most recently a Gold Medal and Best of Show New Zealand at the Mundus Vini Spring Tasting 2020 for our 2018 Tohu Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc, and 6 times chosen as Best Value Wine by Wine Spectator Magazine for our Kono Sauvignon Blanc.

Mugwi MacDonald, one of the founders of Tohu Wines, and his great-great nephew, Pakuwera

Marcus Pickens, the head of the region’s wine marketing body Wine Marlborough, is understandably immensely proud of what his region has achieved in a relatively short time frame (in viticulture terms).

“Marlborough is the story of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. It really is, and everyone would say that,” Marcus says.

With a combination of a cool yet high sunshine climate, low rainfall and free-draining, moderately fertile soil – the region creates uniquely vivid, world-class wines. There is increasing diversity of styles achieved through use of wild ferments, degrees of lees contact, as well as fermentation and/or ageing in oak – both old and new.

Place has a profound influence on sauvignon blanc, a variety that can express terroir more intensely than any other. For this reason, there is increasing interest in sub-regional influences from Marlborough’s three distinct growing areas – Wairau Valley, Southern Valleys and Awatere Valley.

Marcus cites Tohu as an example of a local company that’s leading the way with how it markets itself to the world.

“Tohu can be proud of upholding their values, authenticity and staying true to who they are,” he says. “Tohu has such an authentic story. They’ve defined it and they really live by it. It’s not just storytelling, it’s making it come to life through everything they do. They really live it.”

Our export sales manager Dan Taylor says consumers have a lot of options, but none have a story like Tohu and Kono Wines.

“We are the world’s first Māori-owned wine company,” he says.

“We’ve got great wine, passionate people behind the wine, and an authentic story and identity that people really connect with.”

Dan Taylor, Tohu and Kono Wines Export Sales Manager

The owners of Tohu and Kono Wines are tangata whenua, Māori people of the land of Te Tauihu -Top of the South Island, New Zealand. The connection to the land that our owners and those who work at Tohu and Kono Wines have, underpins all we do.

For us, the awards are the cherry on top. What matters is staying true to our values, honouring the past and continuing to produce excellent wine. So as we reflect on Sauvignon Blanc Day, we remember how far New Zealand has come and acknowledge rangatiratanga – the courageous leadership that helped us get here.