Why Do NZ SB's Taste That Way?

[Auburnwine]

I really enjoy NZ SB's, that guava-esque, tropical fruit flavor. But they are different from any other SB's I have had.

Why do they have that distinctive flavor?

[Innkeeper]

Have not heard the guava descriptor before. Have you found in more than one Kiwi SB?

[Bucko]

I'm sure that the cooler clime, clones, terroir, and strict canopy management all contribute to the final product. Carole and I go thru about 15 cases a year -- love the stuff.

[Thomas]

Canopy management is a hot item in NZ vineyards, and it shows with positive results.

[Auburnwine]

IK, I use "guava" for lack of a more precise term (and we wine evaluators are sooooo precise). Yes, it is a specific taste/scent that I find in numerous NZ SB's.

And it is distinctive to them.

[ShortWiner]

The NZ SBs I've had have all been notably aromatic, marked by an intense grassiness, or maybe herbal quality. Is that what you mean? If so, I suspect the soil has a lot to do with it, though that's just a hunch.

[Innkeeper]

Hey if it tastes like guava to you, no problem. It's just that your first post sounded like that was the way they tasted to others as well, and that I was missing something.

[Auburnwine]

While others say "tastes like chicken," I say "tastes like guava." Comes from being born in a thatch-roofed hut on Bora Bora.

[Thomas]

Now you have my interest up: what does guava taste like?

[Georgie]

Like a NZ SB, of course, silly boy! (Sorry...couldn't resist!)

[Thomas]

Well georgie, at least you got the gender right on this one...

[winoweenie]

What about the descriptive adjectives? WW

[Auburnwine]

Aha! I am not alone (for once).

I did just a web search of "guava and 'New Zealand' and Sauvignon" and brought up 359 sites.

And they were not all "Drunken New Zealand Monkeys Throw Guavas and Empty Sauvignon Blanc Bottles at Thong-Wearing Bicyclist."

[Thomas]

I still want to know what guava tastes like. Really. If it's anything like kiwi fruit, then I agree that NZ SB's are in that camp--sometimes.

[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 05-08-2003).]

[wondersofwine]

Were the monkeys objecting to the thong or the bicycle?

[Auburnwine]

Well, guava has a very distinctive scent and flavor. It would be as hard to describe as, say, monstera or a really ripe cherimoya. It makes a dandy jam, and guava paste is readily available in Caribbean markets.

Pick up a few guavas and sniff them or get a jar of guava jam to put on onion bagels, a happy combination. It really is one of my scents from childhood in the tropics, so I am partial.

"I shot an elephant in my pajamas. What he was doing in my pajamas, I'll never know!"

- Captain Spaulding

[Thomas]

C'mon Auburnwine--you're copping out on me. Now I have to go find some guava to get the taste for myself.

Maybe I could persuade Shortwiner to pick some up for me in the Carribean neighborhood in Brooklyn. I'll toss across a bottle of wine for the effort...

[wondersofwine]

It's not really a copout. I once was asked by someone who had never eaten artichoke "What do they taste like?" My first inclination was to say "a little like hearts of palm" but it was pretty obvious to me that she had probably never tasted hearts of palm either since artichoke is much more common in restaurants, etc.
I recently picked up some red currant jam for tasting comparisons. I'm somewhat familiar with black currant and cassis flavors but not familiar with red currant. Also have a jar of gooseberry jam. I'm holding it until I acquire a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to see if I really find gooseberry flavor in the wine. (It would be better to compare probably with fresh red currants or gooseberries than the jams, but you work with what you find).

[Auburnwine]

I would be curious to know if it tastes like gooseberry or if it tastes like Chinese Gooseberry (Actinidia chinensis), the traditional name for what is now marketed as Kiwi fruit.

It always seems a little convenient to me, somehow, that NZ SB "tastes like Kiwi fruit."

[ShortWiner]

Foodie,
You're on! I'll see what I can do about a guava. I'm pretty curious about this now, myself . . .