Sauvignon Blanc Vertical Tasting

Join Sophie Parker-Thomson, the only Master of Wine on the South Island, to experience a unique vertical tasting of Blank Canvas Abstract Three Rows Sauvignon Blanc and the renowned GAJA Winery’s expression of the same variety at Saturday, April 13th at 3pm. Book tickets soon as there are limited spaces available.

We will be comparing three consecutive vintages, 2017, 2018, & 2019 for both wines. Sophie will discuss how all these three vastly contrasting vintages for both Marlborough and Piedmont affect the resulting wine and how both producers find the perfect balance between expressing vintage differences and maintaining the consistency of their prestigious labels.

The GAJA Winery was founded in the Piemonte region of northern Italy in 1859 by Giovanni Gaja, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest estates in the world, producing coveted and collectible labels while being a pioneer and guardian of tradition, a legacy that continues to reshape the standard for excellence in the world of winemaking today.

The story of the GAJA Winery can be traced to a singular, founding purpose: to produce original wines with a sense of place which reflects the tradition and culture of those who made it.  Inspiring now five generations of impeccable winemaking with temperature-controlled fermentation, green harvesting, reduction of crop size and the introduction of French varieties have all contributed to the modernist reputation and the soaring international praise for the GAJA wines.

Marlborough’s own Blank Canvas launched over a decade ago, creating wines that are about celebrating the focus and detail of single vineyard expressions from locations selected due to their suitability for the grape variety, right nurturing soil, microclimate, and innate high quality.

Together co-owners Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson MW put all their efforts into making wines that are distinctive and cerebral, approaching each wine unencumbered by a regime or badge and are not beholden to tradition. Every vineyard, variety and vintage is approached as if it is a blank canvas. As a result, every wine tells a story, speaking of the exact place and time it is from.