Graham Norton helps blend 2019’s SauviGNon Blanc
The taste of 2019 (from left): Rob Cameron, Graham Norton, Joe Fattorini and Tim Norton.
This year sees the release of the sixth vintage of Graham Norton’s Own SauviGNon Blanc – and it’s the fifth vintage that the star has blended himself.
Collaborators New Zealand winery Invivo & Co again brought samples of Marlborough SauviGNon Blanc to Graham in London for a three-hour session of sampling, blending, assessing and final approving. Then Invivo’s winemaker Rob Cameron took the final recipe back to New Zealand to create this year’s vintage. The wine will then be on sale in 10 countries.
At this year’s blending session there was a new face in the room. With over 30 years in the trade wine expert Joe Fattorini joined Graham and the Invivo team to cast a critical eye over proceedings.
“The blending process Graham and the Invivo boys go through is exactly what you’d see at any winery in the world” said Joe, “this is real winemaking by people who care deeply about what they’re doing.”
While the SauviGNon Blanc is the heart of the Graham Norton’s Own range, it has now been joined by a New Zealand Rosé, a South Australian Shiraz, an Italian Prosecco and – just this year – both a London Dry style and Pink Irish GiN, distilled just up the road from Graham’s holiday home in Cork.
Graham Norton’s personally-blended wines have won over 50 medals including four trophies from the UK’s People’s Choice Awards, Gold at the Global Sauvignon Masters and Gold at the Prosecco Masters.
US publications Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator have awarded the Graham Norton Sauvignon 90 points and the wine has been chosen for Qantas Business class.
The 2019 SauviGNon Blanc
The 2019 blending session was with a standout vintage from Marlborough, New Zealand, which meant it was tough to pick winners from this year’s vineyard samples.
“2019 has been a great vintage and Graham has characteristically weaved his blend between parcels with herbaceous characters and others with more tropical and citrus notes,” says Rob Cameron of the 2019 wine, “Overall the wine is a beautifully bold statement of Sauvignon Blanc which I’m sure will be a hit with all GN fans.”
Graham Norton’s Own Wines are distributed in Ireland by Barry & Fitzwilliam.
Twitter: @invivowines
Instagram: InvivoWines
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