It really does taste of cats’ pee

A hot day, a shady spot, and a glass of cool, white wine.

Sauvingnon blanc, preferably, with the key flavours of passionfruit, asparagus and a hint of cats pee.

I’ve heard alcohol called piss before, I’ve heard of people who overindulge described as pissed, but this is the first time I’ve come across scientific verification that wine taste like that.

The isolation of cat’s pee, asparagus and passion fruit compounds are just some of the findings of the sauvignon blanc project – a joint study by Lincoln University, Plant and Food, and Auckland University

The six year, $13 million project will help improve the quality of the product, as well as improve overseas sales – a market worth almost a billion dollars in 2008.

I’ll take their word for it and I’m not going to ask know how they know what cats’ pee tastes like.

But if I was in marketing I think I’d be emphasising the fruit flavours in preference to the feline one;

Happy birthday sauvingnon blanc

Don’t break out the bubbles – best toast this one in still wine because it’s 30 years since Montana  first launched sauvingnon blanc.

Just think what’s happened since – arid, stoney farmland which wasn’t much use for growing grass has been transformed into vinyards. In the wake of the vinyards have come cafes, art galleries and other businesses providing more jobs and bringing new life to communities in places like Central Otago, North Canterbury, Malborough, Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay.

That’s had a huge impact on the domestic economy and  has earned significant export income:

. . . wine exports earned the country $1.25 billion last year.

Most of the Sav Blanc is grown in Marlborough and one of my favourites is that produced by Charles Wiffen.