The very 'essenze' of a great Sauvignon Blanc

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"I don’t usually like Sauvignon Blanc," I said to Garrick Harvison, the Export Business Development Manager for McWilliam’s Wines Group, Ltd.

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"Oh," he retorted, not missing a beat, "you’ll like this one."

Inwardly, I sighed. People are always trying to change my mind about varietals I’m not wild about. Sauv Blanc, Pinot Noir, Malbec — I’ve tried them all, numerous times. And occasionally — but only occasionally — I’ve found ones I didn’t mind. But I still haven’t been won over by any of them in terms of a conversion or long-term commitment or what have you.

Regardless, I followed Harvison to one of the many booths he was overseeing at last year’s Winnipeg Wine Festival. And who wouldn’t? He was a bit cocky ("You’ll like this one" — puh-leeze!), certainly. But I kind of admired his showmanship and his confidence. Plus he was handsome — very handsome. Then there was his Australian accent. I’m a sucker for the lilt of Aussie-speak. Which meant I was completely and totally doomed.

Consequently, I traipsed along to the Essenze table (the company spells it with a lower case ‘e’ — ‘essenze’ — but for clarity’s sake in this column, I’m going to use the upper case ‘E’) to try this new Sauv Blanc I was sure would be a disappointment.

But here’s the rub. Not only was I dismayed I was such an easy mark, it turned out — and those who know me realize how much it pains me to say this — Harvison was right! I DID like the Essenze Sauv Blanc!

Happily, it was one of the wines selected by MLCC to populate our Liquor Mart shelves, and once it had finally arrived here in mid-December, I was able to buy a bottle to remind myself once again what it tasted like.

And while it took a long time for me to get around to it, finally, last weekend, my husband and I had lightly fried panko-crumb-coated pickerel with lemon, and we did so purposely, as a — we hoped — perfect pairing for the Essenze Sauv Blanc. At the same time, we did a blind taste test involving another New Zealand Sauv Blanc I’d been impressed by in the past. I wanted to know for certain which one of the two I preferred.

As much as I’m generally not fond of this varietal, I’ve said many times that it’s hard to beat Oyster Bay, and when I need a Sauv Blanc (which is rare, but it sometimes happens), Oyster Bay is the one I buy.

So to repeat, I wanted to find out, without bias, which of these wines I liked best. I chilled them to exactly the same temperature, and had my husband pour a small glass of each in the kitchen while I waited in the living room. He brought them to me, him knowing which was which, and me not.

The colour was pretty much the same in both — a very pale, almost green-hued-but-colourless yellow. (I realize that’s convoluted and contradictory. But just pour a glass — the preceding description should make sense if you do.) I took a sniff of each. Wine Number One was a fair bit deeper, and I could smell citrus for sure — grapefruit, probably — and something else. I was a bit puzzled at first, but it didn’t take long before the ‘aha’ moment happened: What I detected was green pepper.

Then I took a sip. Wow! Definitely grapefruit and green pepper. This was lovely! And I was desperately hoping, given my aforementioned fascination with its purveyor, that it was the Essenze. But I honestly wasn’t sure.

I handed the glass to my hubby — we do this a lot — to get his impressions. He liked it, too. He couldn’t find the green pepper until I pointed it out, but once directed, he got that as well.

Then we switched to the other glass. Wine Number Two was a fair bit lighter, and also very pleasant. But it had more lemon and lime, not grapefruit, and there was no hint of green pepper.

I went back and forth between them at least a half-dozen times. I liked both! I could see each would have application in different settings — Wine One if the food, the mood, or the occasion called for something a bit more gutsy and viscous, Wine Two if the fare was extremely delicate or a person was just searching for a gentle sipper with less intensity.

But there really was no doubt in my mind. Wine Number One was my favourite of the pair. And I was convinced it was the Oyster Bay.

Finally, I couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. I jumped up and headed for the kitchen. When I turned the corner, my heart leapt, and I think my feet actually left the floor, too! Wine Number One — my pick — was the Essenze!

I was delighted. I grabbed the Essenze bottle and poured some more into my glass. Since hubby said he liked them both — I did, too, but I had a preference — he got the Oyster Bay.

Both were good with the pickerel. But the richer, fuller flavour of the Essenze was my choice all the way around. Again, I’m not dissing the Oyster Bay — I really like it and would always welcome a glass of it.

But for my taste, where the Oyster Bay 2011 was crisp, the Essenze 2010 was zesty. The Oyster Bay’s label described the wine as "assertive," which is legit, but I’d say, then, that the Essenze was verging on "aggressive." It just had more presence. But I enjoy bolder, ballsy wines more than understated ones.

Anyway, personal preference will have to dictate here, since price isn’t really going to help. The Oyster Bay sells for $17.99 while the Essenze is $18.95.

So now I have a new go-to white that I’m not simply settling for — I’m buying and drinking it because I really, really like it. You might say it’s the very ‘essenze’ of a great Sauvignon Blanc.

Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition April 28, 2012