2016 Spy Valley ‘Easy Tiger’ Low-Alcohol Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

Score: 86/100

Score 86/100

About this wine, Spy Valley, the producing winery claims that it is ”Lower in alcohol and full of flavour. The tiger is let loose in the winery where the wine is naturally crafted to express the fruit and not gain alcohol.”

So let’s find out how much of a tiger or a kitten is in this low-alcohol wine!

Tasting Notes

The wine comes in a mid-intensity lemon-yellow color, slightly pale but like quite a few Marlborough Kiwi Sauvignon Blancs. No clue here that it’s a low-alcohol (9.5%) wine.

You won’t clearly find an evidence either on the nose.

It’s powerful and aromatic to smell. Grassy, lemony, and more importantly, filled with strong fruity passion fruit you can almost smell would be sweet if it was… passion fruit!

Fresh pear, pepper, and a touch of kerosene. A typical nose of a well-made New Zealand Sauvignon.

On the palate, if you didn’t know it was low alcohol, and you didn’t get intrigued by the uncommon name of the wine (Easy Tiger that is, just in case anyone’s not following) , you may not actually realize.

Yes, if you’re an expert and have the eye of a tiger for small details in wine, you will pick on the fact that it’s a little bit light-bodied. That the acidity is a little dominant and not quite balanced by the texture and weight you’d get out of standard-alcohol-level Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Or that the finish is not as complex and not giving you a little kick of warmth you get with a 10%+ beverage.

But all in all, this does taste like a typical Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, powerfully aromatic, grassy and citrusy. And it is well balanced, though on the acidic side admittedly which is not neceserally a bad thing as long as if you know it

Wine & Food Pairing?

Pair it with appetizers, entrées or seafood dishes, and unless you’re a wine geek, you’ll enjoy it just as much as any approachable (affordable) Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, just with a little alcohol in your system.