"There's nothing sexy about Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough," said Croad, viticulturist for Villa Maria Estate, which produces six million litres of its Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc every year.
"The more we muck around with the grape, the less likely it's going to be a better wine."
To reach those extreme volumes and satisfy the thirst of wine lovers in 50 countries around the world, Croad oversees roughly 100 vineyard blocks in Marlborough's Wairau and Awatere valleys.
When it comes to growing New Zealand's signature grape, Croad said he has learned to stand back a little. "I look at it as being vines in the ground, fruit at the end. The more things you do to the vines along the way, the more kinks in the pipeline."
His goal is to deliver pure, pristine fruit to the winemaking team that reflects the regional character of where it is grown. Some parcels of fruit offer riper tropical fruit flavours, others produce more tart, tangy grapefruit expressions.
"The secret is to be able to blend spectrums of flavour," he explained.
But if you think Croad whiles away the hours in a rocking chair doing little more than watching Sauvignon Blanc grapes ripen, you'd be wrong.
He spends much of his time intensively farming the grapes that go into the Private Bin Pinot Noir.
"Pinot Noir represents five percent of what we do in Marlborough, but it takes 50% of my time," Croad explained during a recent comparison tasting of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noirs from different ranges in the Villa Maria portfolio.
"This is very sexy," he said, after taking an appreciative sip of the newly released 2009 Private Bin Pinot Noir, which sells for around $20 in most Canadian markets.
"A lot of love goes into this wine. Short of reading it stories and playing baroque style music, we do everything in our power to assist the vines."
The viticulturist works diligently to restrict yields and keep both vines and its fruit happy throughout the growing season.
"It's all about elegance, finesse and restrained power," Croad said, of the ideal character for both the finished wine and the quality of the fruit that's delivered to the winery.
The quality of his work with Pinot in the vineyard ensures the potential greatness of the finished wine in bottle. "As long as the winemakers don't stuff it up," he said, light-heartedly.
A stay at Gianni Versace’s mansion
