Sep 2018
Fume Blanc
September, 2018 Filed in: Wine varieties
The January 2018 Limited Edition White wine is a New Zealand Fume Blanc. So what is a Fume Blanc? Back in the 1970’s California’s infamous character, wine maker and shrewd marketer, Robert Mondavi, coined the term Fume Blanc. The companies sales of Fume Blanc soared through some innovative advertising as consumers clamored for this delicious white wine. No, it is not a grape variety, rather simply Sauvignon Blanc. But it is Sauvignon Blanc with a difference. The Sauvignon Blanc commercially is aged in oak. It is not an over oaked wine like a Chardonnay, rather a slight oak flavour or smoked flavour. And thus the term Fume, French for smoked. It is generally thought that this marketing of Fume Blanc led to Sauvignon Blanc being the second most popular white grape variety in California next to Chardonnay.
The January Limited Edition New Zealand Fume Blanc will have tropical fruit, gooseberry, melon, grassy notes and gentle vanilla oak. It is important to note that this is not an over-oaked wine, just subtle oak flavours.
The January Limited Edition New Zealand Fume Blanc will have tropical fruit, gooseberry, melon, grassy notes and gentle vanilla oak. It is important to note that this is not an over-oaked wine, just subtle oak flavours.