If you had to name the world's most famous Sauvignon Blanc, which would you choose? The chances are that it would be Cloudy Bay, New Zealand's one and only cult wine with its stunning flavours and famous silhouette label showing off the distant Richmond Ranges. Yet 20 years ago, the joint phenomenon of Cloudy Bay and Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc were barely out of short trousers.

It all began back in the mid-1980s when the Australian vintner, David Hohnen, purchased some prime vineyard land in the Wairau Valley, part of the Marlborough region at the north end of New Zealand's south island. Having found his perfect spot, he called it Cloudy Bay, the name given to this haunting landscape by Captain Cook in 1778.

Hohnen teamed up with fellow Aussie winemaker Kevin Judd and their first vintage was in 1985, made from bought-in fruit at the nearby Corbans winery. Remarkably, the results of that first vintage were nothing less than a sensation, showing new levels of complexity and finesse that other Kiwi Sauvignons had so far failed to reveal.

Not surprisingly, the wine quickly established its fame and reputation. It picked up a gold medal at the 86 Air New Zealand Export Wine Awards and then followed that up by coming top in a tasting of Sauvignon Blancs organised by WINE Magazine in London.

Since then Cloudy Bay has taken the world by storm. But so too has New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, particularly from the Marlborough region. Even to the extent that it has become the benchmark for New World Sauvignon, thanks to its hallmark aromatics and flavours of vibrant gooseberries, nettles and grassy capsicum backed up by some crisp acidity.

As a result, you can now find a plethora of outstanding Sauvignon Blancs from around the New World, including countries like Chile, South Africa and Australia, many of which are extremely well priced and extremely popular. Moreover, many of them are a world away from the traditional savoury, flinty Sauvignon Blanc's home and original heartland in the Loire Valley, France.

Inevitably, some wine snobs claim to have outgrown New World Sauvignon Blanc, suggesting that it is too obvious or one dimensional. Personally though, I think that view is complete tosh. In my book, a good New World Sauvignon remains a joy to drink with its intense, fruity flavours that almost literally leap out of the glass.

Moreover, many New World winemakers continue to create some exciting variations on the Sauvignon Blanc theme by picking some grapes early - for acidity and freshness - and harvesting other blocks later - to add more tropical flavours of guava and passionfruit.

Meanwhile, others are making their Sauvignons more minerally in a Sancerre style. Cloudy Bay even blend in a small amount of Semillon, which undoubtedly brings an extra dash of complexity to the final wine.

Another criticism is that New World Sauvignon Blancs aren't serious because they don't age. To me this rather misses the point, because they are simply not designed for bottle ageing. Their appeal lies in their freshness and vivid unoaked fruit flavours. In which case, don't keep them locked up in your cellar for more than a year if you can avoid it. My advice is to drink them as young as possible. Right now the 2006 Sauvignon Blancs are looking in tip-top form, particularly from Marlborough, where it all began two decades ago.

For The Oxford Times Wine Club wine offers click here