Market Watch, September 2018
52 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM SEPTEMBER 2018PHOTOS BY TOP JOHN EARLE BOTTOM REBECCA LORRINE ROBERTSThat experience is not unusual At the downtown Houston location of Pappas Bros Steakhouse the one New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the list Cloudy Bay 80 a 750 ml is a solid performer Its definitely the New Zealand wine we sell the most says wine director Bill Elsey The restaurant also offers a handful of red wines from the country but they havent found the same traction Sauvignon Blancs DominanceOver the past decade New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has been the backbone of the countrys wine presence in the U S market While many producers offer other varietals most notably Pinot Noir Sauvignon Blanc accounts for the vast majority of volume sold For example roughly 90 of volume for Matua Valley the No 5 New Zealand wine in the United States is Sauvignon Blanc according to Andrew Floor vice president of brand and digital marketing for the brand at Trea sury Wine Estates TWE We dont see that percentage changing dramatically he says Roughly 6 of our mix is rosé with the balance in Pinot Noir Both are growing health ily but Sauvignon Blanc is still fueling the growth Sauvignon Blanc is where our roots are its what people expect from the New Zealand category and its what they love about Matua That will continue to be our workhorse Similarly the Crossings label is available in both Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir expressions but the white varietal is overwhelmingly dominant The Sauvignon Blanc is 98 of our business which is in line with the Sauvignon Blanc share of total New Zealand says Tom Steffanci president of Cross ings importer Deutsch Family Wine Spirits New Zealand and Sauvignon Blanc are synonymous and we dont anticipate Himmel Hospitality Groups Cambridge restaurant Harvest diners pictured above easily sells its New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc expressions the 2017 Cloudy Bay and 2017 Seleni but has trouble pushing consumers to try other New Zealand varietals like Chardonnay or Pinot Noir Houstons Pappas Bros Steakhouse above offers seven different New Zealand red wines on its menu in addition to Sauvignon Blanc
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