Whip-cracking acidity, tongue-tingling, citrusy-herby flavors, and pungent aromas give New Zealand sauvignon blancs a punchy, kick-boxing appeal.

Immediately recognizable, reliable, predictable, and cheap, they’re tartly crisp wines you either love or hate, with grassy aromas some have likened to cat pee—not, I admit, the most appealing description. One critic suggested that if you dislike New Zealand sauvignon blanc, it might be because you had to mow the lawn when you were a kid.

But adventurous New Zealand winemakers are now lifting the category to a new dimension of quality, creating more serious (and more expensive) examples in a variety of styles. If you’re not a fan of the country’s sauvignon blancs, these are the wines to try. And if you love that in-your-face zing, don’t worry, these brilliant, alternative styles are still the ultimate anti-chardonnay. They’re just richer, with layers of flavor and the ability to age.

Is this necessary?

You might ask, why are winemakers bothering?

After all, New Zealand sauvignon blanc has been one of the wine world’s truly stunning success stories. Grapes from the Marlborough region, which hugs the northeast corner of the South Island, were turned into an in-your-face style of wine that felt utterly different from French counterparts Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and white Bordeaux.

In 2016, exports of the country’s wines to the U.S. were up 24 percent, yet another year of double-digit growth, according to the New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Report. We’re gulping those wines down as fast as they can ship them.

Read more at source: Bloomberg