What Carolyn Pours: Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Carolyn doesn't balk at a grassy, citrusy, New Zealand sauvignon blanc, even if it's only early Spring!
Carolyn Lewis is a wine drinker from way back. As the 20 year owner of the very first winery collective in California she had the opportunity to taste and enjoy lots of great, and not so great wines. You can follow her on Instagram @whatcarolynpours for more tips on what to enjoy and where to find it locally here in Port Townsend.
If wines had personalities, Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc would be the lively friend who shows up to the party wearing sunglasses because it is almost spring, brings a great playlist, tries to convince you that the frost on the ground is only temporary, and that sipping a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc in early March is perfectly fine. A friend recently told me it is their go to wine right after cold plunging in the Salish Sea. Now that is truly brave!
Personally I enjoy this easy drinking wine any time of year and keep a couple chilled bottles on hand all the time.
Whenever I pour myself a glass of Villa Maria I smell a bit of lime, some grapefruit and just enough freshly cut grass to remind me this is a wine made in the vineyards of New Zealand. As soon as I take my first sip I am transported back to when I first tasted the Villa Maria and understood what the wine critics meant by tropical notes, passionfruit and guava. This wine is a perfect example of pure green tropical freshness.
One of the reasons I think the Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc is so popular is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is a widely distributed wine because it's consistent as well as easy on the wallet. It is also the reason half a dozen restaurants and bars here in Port Townsend carry it by the glass as their house white wine, and you can find it at most retail outlets.
This reliability takes the guesswork out of buying a bottle or two. Some wines can feel like a gamble—you open the bottle and wonder what you’re going to get. Vintage after vintage, this wine delivers bright fruit flavors, lively acidity, and a refreshing style that’s almost too easy to enjoy so be sure to pace yourself. For me a glass of Villa Maria is simple, bright and fun to drink. Sometimes that is exactly what I want in a wine.
Fun fact. New Zealand is located roughly midway between the equator and the South Pole and its vineyards are the southernmost in the world. I love the fact that they are also the first vineyards on earth to see the sun each day.
The winery also produces other wines—pinot noir, chardonnay, and blends from regions like Hawke’s Bay—but the sauvignon blanc is definitely the headline act. It’s the wine that helped put Marlborough on the global wine map, and Villa Maria has played a big role in spreading the gospel of crisp, aromatic New Zealand whites around the world. To me the sauvignon blanc is best when relatively young. I prefer to enjoy it within 1 to 3 years of the vintage. Older bottles tend to lose that fresh zippy character.
This is not a wine that demands a formal occasion. It's an everyday wine that is just as happy to be on your table next to a simple Tuesday night dinner as it is for a larger, more formal gathering with friends. In fact I personally recommend having a glass with a big bowl of popcorn while watching a movie. That's a perfect pairing. This wine is readily available at The Wineseller as well as Safeway here in PT. And it's typically sold for less than $18. A bargain!
