Tonight I am enjoying a glass of Jackson Estate 2008 The Stich Sauvignon Blanc. And enjoy it I am, because it has taken a while to get here.
Back in April winemaker Mike Paterson emailed saying he was going to send through a sample of his newest Sauvignon Blanc. Towards the middle of May I got in touch (didn't want to appear too needy) to say that the wine hadn't arrived. A second bottle was subsequently despatched and again I waited.
Before heading off to Gisborne I emailed Mike again to say I still hadn't got the wine.
Thankfully, it was a case of third time lucky, and two bottles of the said wine arrived yesterday, presumably one for me and one for Emma.
But the whole saga did get me wondering how many bottles of unsolicited wine go astray en route to their intended destination ? As very few wineries send advanced notification that wines are on their way (honourable mentions must go here to Edward at Pegasus Bay, Kath at Saint Clair and Cathy at Pernod Ricard) it is almost impossible know whether someone else is enjoying the fruits of the NZ wine industry.
Almost daily I get emails letting me know of a winery's success in a particular wine competition so it cannot be outside the limits of possibility that the same winery could send out a quick email letting me know that something is on its way too ? And now I am fired up, where do wineries get their mailing lists from ? And who is in charge of updating the contact details ? A certain Central Otago winery, now apparently finding things tough, kept sending samples to an address I moved from 9 years ago. Despite me sending emails asking it to update its records. If a winery takes such a lacksadaisical approach to its most precious asset what does that tell you about their approach to things ?
Anyway, enough grizzling. It may be freezing in Auckland but it is positively tropical at home (heating turned up to maximum) so a glass of chilled white is hitting the spot quite nicely. The 2008 Stitch Sauvignon Blanc is delicious, full of gooseberry, red capsicum and nettle flavours with the merest whiff of passionfruit. Silky, ripe and smooth with a streak of crisp citrus acid adding spine. One of the better efforts from the troublesome 2008 vintage.
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