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Winery
Sophora
Varietal: Champagne Blend
The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.
Region: Hawkes Bay
New Zealand is a fascinating country when it comes to New World wines, and there are few wine regions within New Zealand with as much dedication to quality, heritage and history as that of Hawkes Bay, situated in the northern part of the northern island. In Hawkes Bay, wineries have been planting and processing fine imported grape varietals for over a hundred and fifty years, and making characterful and flavorful wines from the Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which flourish under the hot sunshine and in the mineral rich soils which typify the region. The past couple of decades have seen much expansion in Hawkes Bay, and the seven sub-regions the bay is split into have all increased their production to meet growing international interest and demand.
Country: New Zealand
New Zealand has consistently impressed over the past few decades, with many proclaiming this southern country as being the 'pearl' of the New World wine locations. One of the key attributes of New Zealand wines is their wonderful fruit-forward flavors, which make them a favorite with newcomers to wine, as they manage to be deliciously drinkable without posing many challenges. That isn't to say there is little complexity or interesting features to their wines, as one can easily discover through the fantastic range of wines available – from smoky and mineral rich Sauvignon Blancs, to juicy and plummy Pinot Noirs and the beautiful Bordeaux style wines sourced from the excellent Auckland region. New Zealand wineries clearly have a dedication to quality alongside quantity, and such zeal and expertise is quickly helping them become established as world leaders in regards to both domestic sales and exported wines.