SAUVIGNON shouldn’t be so-so. Nor should it smell of armpits or eau de tomcat. If it does I will not be recommending it here.

The following are good though, I enjoyed them. Although I would prefer a good riesling any day.

Mission Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2014 is available in the UK online from Le Bon Vin.

Established in 1851, by the French Marist religious order, Mission Estate is New Zealand’s oldest producer.

There’s nothing old world about the style of Mission Estate’s sauvignon though, it is very aromatic and intense but without being overly aggressive.

Clean and fresh tasting, it shouts out passion fruit, gooseberry and lime, with minerals on the finish.

In a very similar vein, but perhaps a little more complex, is Craggy Range Avery Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2014, which you will find on the shelves at Waitrose.

This single vineyard example is also from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.

It is intense and highly aromatic, although somewhat unusually for sauvignon blanc this example is distinctly peachy.

But with the characteristic goosegog flavours, coupled with passion fruit, it is still unmistakeably Kiwi sauvignon.

It finishes with flavours of wet stone which contrast with the turbocharged fruit flavours.

Or if you want sauvignon that is a little more restrained, and perhaps a little easier to partner with food, then try Dourthe la Grande Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2014, from the Bordeaux region of France.

Also on the shelves at Waitrose, it is crisp and clean, with zesty lime flavours, white flowers and mineral notes on the finish.

If there’s white fish on the menu then this would be a very good choice.

 

• Mission Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Marlborough, £11.50 from lebonvin.co.uk 17/20

• Craggy Range Avery Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Marlborough, £12.99 at Waitrose 18/20

• Dourthe la Grande Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2014, £8.99 at Waitrose 17/20