This episode establishes the structural foundations of New Zealand wine: not as a set of stylistic clichés, but as a tightly linked system of climate, light, vineyard practice, winemaking decisions and business evolution.
Every examinable detail from the prescribed text is surfaced and translated into explicit cause → effect → exam relevance. The rise of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is framed not as a varietal accident, but as the result of latitude, maritime moderation, exceptionally high UV levels, long daylight hours, diurnal range, canopy design, mechanical harvesting choices and reductive winemaking. Numeric anchors—including vineyard area growth, export volumes, varietal dominance, yields per hectare and closure adoption—are retained to secure marks.
This episode also integrates current climate volatility with precision. Recent record-breaking storms and declared states of emergency on New Zealand’s North Island are referenced not as generic “climate change”, but as regionally specific risks affecting harvest timing, disease pressure, power reliability and winery operations—while clearly differentiating the South Island’s relative insulation. This reflects how contemporary wine business context should be introduced in D3 answers: relevant, restrained and explanatory.
No prescribed detail is omitted, no facts are left implicit, and every element is tied back to style, quality, consistency or commercial outcome—exactly the level of clarity expected in a high-scoring D3 response.
Looking for all episodes in one place?
I’ve created an evergreen “Start Here” hub for this unit so you can access the full series without inbox overload.
You’ll find the complete list of episodes, organized in syllabus order, here:
https://thesommpour.substack.com/p/wset-diploma-d3-wines-of-the-world
