Convinced about the potential for this wine, he bought land in the area, and launched the first vintage in 1985, which had to be bottled up at Gisborne, in the north island, as the winery had not yet been built. In 1996, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, first hit the UK shores, and the rest is history. The Sauvignon Blanc has reached cult status, with the wine on allocation in many countries, even though the vineyard holdings have increased, and with it the quantity of wine, over the years. In the UK , in particular, the wine is snapped immediately, despite its high premium price. It could be said that it is the high quality that first came out of New Zealand that persuaded wine drinkers to pay just that little bit more, meaning that New Zealand wines have the highest average price point in the UK. The phenomenon that is Cloudy Bay, began less than 25 years ago, in a quiet spot of New Zealand’s South Island, and is largely responsible for putting New Zealand wine on the world’s wine map today. New Zealand still accounts for only 6% of total wine sales in the UK but this is huge growth pattern in the last 10 years, from under 1% 10 years ago. The winery was built soon after the international launch of the wine, and Cloudy Bay vineyards now cover 140 hectares, across the eastern side of Marlborough, including the eastern bay, after which the brand was named.

Cloudy Bay Pelorus Sparkling has reached almost a similar cult status as the Sauvignon Blanc, and has become known around the world, as a worthy match for any Champagne, and better than many. It’s produced in the Cloudy Bay region, near the Wairau Valley, from the traditional Champagne grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and made in the same way.

Cloudy Bay Pelorus - a fabulous alternative to Champagne, but rich and full enough to cope with seafood, scallops and smoked salmon. Cloudy Bay was almost single-handedly responsible for launching the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc craze across the world, with its intense, aromatic, tropical fruit and herbaceous flavours, a totally new wine flavour profile for the world. In 2003, Cloudy Bay was bought by luxury firm LVMH, and is now in their wine portfolio, together with icons such as Veuve Clicquot, Moet, and Dom Perignon.

Cloudy Bay, situated at the eastern end of the Marlborough region, in an area, named as such, by Captain Cook, in 1770, is a wine, and winery, which can truly be hailed as the pioneer for New Zealand Sauvignons, and is almost solely responsible for catapulting these intensely fresh, aromatic wines onto the international scene. The ensuing 25 years have witnessed a veritable tsunami of New Zealand Sauvignons hitting the supermarket shelves, after many wine companies realised the potential and set up wineries in Marlborough, although several were well established already, on their domestic market, but needed this prop for an international push. Cloudy Bay got its name in 1770, from Captain Cook, as the rivers of Marlborough were in flood, when he arrived there, creating muddy, cloudy water. This, and the mountain ranges are the inspiration behind the immediately recognisable label on the bottle. In wine terms, it is from the premium Wairau River area of Marlborough. In 1983, David Hohnen, co-founder of the well–known Cape Mentelle winery in Western Australia, first tasted a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and was intrigued. He went to New Zealand the following year, and was able to find out that the wine he had tasted was from the cool climate region of Marlborough, on the eastern side of the south island.

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With a small, exclusive production, and its limited availability, which is now fought over, across the world, it’s never going to appear on the top 20 brands, but is simply the icon brand for New Zealand, which most New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc lovers will fight to get.