Tasting

What does beer with Nelson Sauvin taste like? Fruity first, then wine-like: gooseberry and passionfruit on the nose, a green, slightly tart fruitiness on the palate, and a clean bitterness at the finish. Anyone familiar with Sauvignon Blanc will spot the parallel immediately. With Motueka comes a citrusy freshness; with Riwaka, a passionfruit character reminiscent of juice.

Three examples make a good comparison. Mac's Gold, as a golden lager, shows what a first-generation New Zealand craft beer sounds like: clean, bready, lightly honey-sweet. Black Mac is its dark counterpart with roasted notes. Mac's Aromac, the special beer from 2000, was the first to use Nelson Sauvin and is therefore considered a historic milestone.

It's enjoyed in a pint glass or, for stronger beers, a tulip glass that concentrates the aroma. Hop-forward beers taste best at around 6 to 8 degrees Celsius; dark lagers can be a bit warmer. Too cold suppresses the hop fruitiness, too warm makes it heavy. Only after a few minutes in the glass does the aroma open up, turning gooseberry into passionfruit.

When pouring and tapping, freshness is worth watching for. Hop aromas fade, so a Hazy IPA tastes best straight from the tank. Drinking in a taproom in the Nelson area usually gets you small tasting glasses, allowing a quick comparison of several varieties. That way, in an hour you can learn what sets Motueka apart from Riwaka, without emptying a single full glass.