2006 Riverside Sauvignon Blanc Hawkes Bay New Zealand. 13% alcohol. $10.99; Beekmans, Glen Rock.
Pale yellow color, cleaqr hue, lovely aroma and taste of melons, soft and attractive, medium mouth feel, long finish. A very pretty sipping wine, quite different from the Marlborough style with their grapefruit/grassy/herbacous notes. A very nice match with steamed vegetables and a simple salad -- no fireworks with either the food or the wine, but a very pleasant dining experience. 3*.
Notes:
http://www.riversidewines.co.nz/ Riverside Wines is situated in the Dartmoor Valley in the heart of one of Hawkes Bay. Hawke's Bay is situated on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Grapes were first planted in the Dartmoor Valley in 1968 and planting has continued to the present day with a current vineyard area of 410 hectares. Ian and Rachel Cadwallader established Riverside Wines in 1989 The winery and vineyards are situated on Ian's family farm, "Rosemount", which was settled by his great-great-grandparents in 1851. [Near the Tutaekur River.]
http://www.hawkesbaynz.com/pages/harvesthawkesbay Sounds like this festival might be worth a visit; certainly New Zealand is!
Wikipedia: [One of the longest place names in the world is of a hill in Hawkes Bay.] 'Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu',
translates roughly as The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his flute to his loved one. At 85 letters, it is one of the longest placenames in the world. The longer form Tetaumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaurehaeaturipukapihimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuaakitanatahu
has 92 letters, and has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records as [the second longest place name].