#20 - 2023 Chardonnay Tano, Blank Canvas with Sophie Parker-Thomson MW

Sophie Parker-Thompson is a New Zealand winemaker and Master of Wine, living in Marlborough. Sophie and her husband Matt own and run Blank Canvas, a premium wine brand producing high quality varietal wines.

Sophie's MW research paper investigated Biogenic Amines and we asked her to unpack this topic and draw out the key elements to understand. We then discussed the styles and winemaking in Marlborough Chardonnay; this variety is in the shadow of Sauvignon in terms of size of production, but Marlborough is a commercially relevant source of great quality Chardonnay and deserves more recognition. Our third topic was an explanation of Appellation Marlborough and why it is important for producers and wine lovers.

This episode's wine was the 2023 'Tano' Chardonnay, a single vineyard in the coastal subregion of Blind River.