Editing Sauvignon blanc (section)

===New Zealand===
[[File:Marlborough Sauvignon blanc.jpg|left|thumb|A Sauvignon blanc from Marlborough]]

In the 1990s, Sauvignon blanc wines from the maritime climatic regions of [[New Zealand]], particularly the [[South Island]], became popular on the wine market. In the [[Marlborough wine region]], sandy soils over [[slate]] shingles have become the most desirable locations for plantings due to the good drainage of the soil and poor fertility that encourages the vine to concentrate its flavors in lower yields. In the flood plain of the [[Wairau River]] Valley, the soil runs in east-west bands across the area. This can create a wide diversity of flavors for vineyards that are planted north-south with the heavier soils producing more herbaceous wines from grapes that ripen late and vines planted in stonier soils ripening earlier and imparting more lush and tropical flavors. It is this difference in soils, and the types of harvest time decisions that wine producers must make, that add a unique element to New Zealand Sauvignon blanc.<ref name="Clarke p. 222"/>

The long narrow geography of the South Island ensures that no vineyard is more than {{convert|80|mi|km}} from the coast. The cool, maritime climate of the area allows for a long and steady growing season in which the grapes can ripen and develop a natural balance of acids and sugars. This brings out the flavors and intensity that distinguish New Zealand Sauvignon blancs.<ref name="MacNeil p. 807">K. MacNeil. ''The Wine Bible'', p. 807, Workman Publishing 2001. {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}.</ref> More recently, [[Canterbury (wine)|Waipara]] in the [[South Island]] and [[Gisborne (wine)|Gisborne]] and [[Hawke's Bay wine region|Hawkes Bay]] in the [[North Island]] have been attracting attention for their Sauvignon blanc releases, which often exhibit subtle differences to those from Marlborough. The asparagus, gooseberry and green flavor commonly associated with New Zealand Sauvignon blanc is derived from flavor compounds known as [[methoxypyrazines]] that becomes more pronounced and concentrated in wines from cooler climate regions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Marais |first1=J. |last2=Hunter |first2=J. J. |last3=Haasbroek |first3=P. D. |year=1999 |title=Effect of canopy microclimate, season and region on sauvignon blanc grape composition and wine quality |journal=South African Journal of Enology and Viticulture |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=19–30 |url=http://www.sasev.org/journal-sajev/sajev-articles/volume-20-1/art3%20microclimate%20season%20and%20region%20effects%20on%20sauvignon%20blanc%20quality.pdf/view}}.</ref> Riper flavors such as passion fruit, along with other notes such as boxwood, may be driven by [[thiol]] concentrations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tominaga |first1=T. |last2=Baltenweck-Guyot |first2=R. |last3=Peyrot des Gachons |first3=C. |last4=Dubourdieu |first4=D. |year=2000 |title=Contribution of volatile thiols to the aromas of white wines made from several ''Vitis vinifera'' grape varieties |journal=American Journal of Enology and Viticulture |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=178–181 |doi=10.5344/ajev.2000.51.2.178 |s2cid=101026626 |url=http://www.ajevonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/51/2/178|url-access=subscription }}</ref>