Glug simply loves Sauvignon Blanc. We were there in the mid late 1970s promoting the variety when the elite shunned it – indeed they were scathing of its potential. My first liquor business Farmer Bros imported Sancerre, Pouilly Fume and Menetou Salon from France, each being 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Canberra customers loved them, so we pressed ahead.
Next, we imported the first New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and sold the first shipment from Marlborough New Zealand in the late 1970s. In 1982 we entered the National Wine Show, Canberra with our Farmer Bros New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and won the Trophy. So much for the elite.
I was working in Sydney around the 2000 Olympics and watched in awe as the North Shore drinkers made Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc the drink of choice. It took 20 years for them to catch up to Canberra and of course since then Sauvignon Blanc has surpassed all else.
The variety is now grown across Australia. For the Flocking Galloots we wanted it to sell under $10 which means it is a blend and varies from vintage to vintage. The other clue I can give – it is the art of the wine-merchant. For your interest the label pays homage to the wine maker Goeff Merrill, a man who broke convention-bless him, with a range of wines called Cockatoo Ridge. They were huge in the 1980s and then faded away. As you know Glug likes Critters, parrots in this case, which are also frowned on by the elite. Drink up and enjoy.
