It could be said New Zealand’s Josh Scott was destined to make wine. Grapegrowers since 1973, his parents, Allan and Catherine Scott, founded Allan Scott winery in the Marlborough region in 1990, providing fertile ground for the young Josh to learn his craft.
“It’s a real grassroots story,” he explained to the 2022 Wine Experience audience. “Dad started right at the very bottom and worked his way up to eventually being one of the recognized, national viticulturists.” (Allan had previously been a sheep shearer, Catherine a nurse.)
Josh honed his skills in California’s Napa Valley, where he discovered his passion for pale ales (he would later become a craft-brewing pioneer in New Zealand), and in France’s Loire Valley, where he began his life’s work: producing Sauvignon Blancs with structure and minerally character. Marlborough provided the ideal weather and soil to do just that.
Today, Josh oversees winemaking at Allan Scott Family Winemakers, working alongside his sister, Sara Stocker, who manages their viticulture. “We know all our vineyards intimately,” said Josh. “We’ve literally grown up with them, planted them.” Their devotion to Marlborough, its land and its premier white grape has not gone unrewarded. Allan Scott’s 2021 Sauvignon Blanc (93 points, $17), which Josh brought to the Wine Experience, was honored as Wine Spectator’s first Wine Value of the Year.
“Our four key pillars of winemaking are structure, texture, balance and then, most importantly, drinkability,” Josh explained; he also noted how vital consumer opinions are to that process. “We spend a lot of time traveling around the world, listening to what people want from Sauvignon Blanc.”
