Day 21: Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc
Several times over the course of this Blue Collar Wine project, the name “Whitehaven” has come up.
“It’s a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand,” my friend April said. “And it’s delicious.”
“It’s one of our best-selling white wines,” the wine manager at Costco said. “People buy it by the case.”
And etc.
It isn’t the cheapest option out there; Costco sells it for $13.79 a bottle, and there are definitely less expensive wines within the very same category of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.
It also isn’t about the story… which is something that should give pause to both wine marketers and writers (myself included), who hang our hats on the supposed power of narrative. No one — no one — I spoke to over the course of this Blue Collar project relayed the story of how their recommended wine came to be. It’s an unscientific study, to be sure, and there are no formal research protocols in place. Still, “story” as a driver of purchase is conspicuous for its absence.
The story of Kim Crawford himself or his wines wasn’t the reason for purchase. Ditto for the story of Apothic, or Sutter Home, or Bota Box, or or or. Even this Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc, which prints what’s actually a compelling narrative right there on its back label, wasn’t mentioned to me because of its story.
Hmm.
What was it, then?
We unscrewed the cap and poured some Whitehaven in our glasses. We took one sip.
“Wow,” I said. “That’s a pretty big flavor hit right up front. Tons of acidity.”
“I love it,” my husband said. “Exactly my kind of wine. Fruity. Smooth. Fresh. I’d drink more of that anytime.”
So, apparently, would lots of other people (who, for the record, also don’t take the time to read the back label). It’s “delicious.” It fits the style profile they like. And it isn’t too expensive.
Enough said.
Quick Background Note: The Blue Collar Wine Guide is a 30-day, 30-wine experiment that looks at some of the world’s most popular, consumer-friendly wines. The idea is to take off my wine-writer shoes and stand instead in the shoes of Jane-and-Joe-in-front-of-a-wall-of-wine. Thank you for reading today’s post!
