Riversdale Sauvignon Blanc Wairarapa 2025

Riversdale Sauvignon Blanc is a vibrant, aromatic white from Wairarapa, a cool corner of New Zealand's North Island that makes only around 1% of the country's wine. Aromas of fresh herbs, passionfruit, gooseberry, currants and lime lead into a crisp, lively palate of ripe citrus and stone fruit, finishing dry with a refreshing mineral edge. The vineyards run along the Ruamāhanga River valley, where naturally low yields give concentrated fruit and bright, beautifully ripe acidity. Gently pressed, cool fermented and rested on light lees, it has a lovely texture and offers a poised, more mineral alternative to Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Riversdale is made by Matahiwi Estate, a family-owned winery whose owner, Alastair Scott, returned home to Wairarapa and began planting vines in 1998. Matahiwi's wines are certified by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, and flowering buckwheat, phacelia and clover are sown between the vines to encourage healthy soils and biodiversity. Winemaker Miles Dinneen, whose accolades include IWC Best Syrah in the World, crafts wines that express pure vineyard fruit and are a real pleasure to drink. Serve well chilled with fresh seafood, grilled white fish, chicken salads or soft goat's cheese, or enjoy a glass on its own as an aperitif.