Makutu Bay Sauvignon Blanc

What's happening to Marlborough sauvignon blanc is what happened to rioja, and Italian pinot grigio, and others, and will presumably befall Argentinian malbec. It got popular and fashionable, the supermarkets forced down the prices to meet demand, and you got a new wave of cheap and (almost) nasty wines. A year ago, I would have said that I'd never had a bottle of poor Marlborough sauvignon. Now, they're everywhere. The good stuff is still out there, of course, but it's got rather expensive, hence the new stuff which is not in the same league, pricewise or qualitywise. Makutu Bay is typical of this new stuff.

A few years ago when I was in NZ, I criticised a Marlborough producer to his face, telling him that NZ should concentrate on quality and not on price. He replied something like "would love to, mate, but the UK supermarkets have the whip hand and they force our prices down, and with it, the quality."

You can tell Makutu Bay won't be much good by looking at the label. "Imported by and bottled by P&B Wines (followed by a postcode)." Who on earth is P&B wines (no web site - would someone like to tell me?). This wording presumably means it is imported in bulk, probably in steel tanks, and then bottled in Surrey. Decent NZ wine is bottled in NZ.

But if it's "half price" at £4.99 or something, it's good value compared with other £4.99 wines. But "half price"? Nobody in their right mind would have paid £9.98 for it.

This wine's recommended price at Sainsbury's is £9.99p, and that is probably a fair price for this mellow wine. It's flavour combines a hint of nectarine with a gooseberry aroma and fresh fruit. I could not find anything I disliked about it.It is very smooth on the palette, no bitter taste at all.

This is a DEAL...

This stuff should be 8 or 9 pounds or so. It is a good example of a decent Marlborough Sauv' Blanc. A perfectly delicious example in fact. Not more than a hop and a skip from here to Oyster Bay or Montana or so many of the other "big" Marlboroughs.

However, get yourself down to Sainsbury's this week and, if they've got any left, you can get three bottles for ten pounds. Yes, 3 for 10. Normally the "3 for a tenner" deal gets you something you'd be better advised pouring on your chips, but this is where it gets good value.

Check it out if you can. Even at full price its a nice example.