Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand might often be avoided by sniffy connoisseurs, but it is still responsible for more than 70 percent of the country’s total wine production, with most of it exported. It is valued for its purity and tropical fruit, and for being less austere than equivalents from the Loire. It is a forward and flamboyant wine, with passion fruit, kiwi, gooseberry and guava notes. It is generous but possibly less intriguing than some Sancerre. In other words, it is a wine one can enjoy without needing too much wine know-how.

But with so many bottles produced every year in New Zealand, quality can be a bit hit-or-miss. Yes, if picking from a bunch of mediocre whites, a Kiwi sauvignon blanc should be on your list because of its crisp acidity and expressive bouquet. But there is no need to drink mouthwash when you can find high quality wines just above the $15 price tag. This is where spending just a few dollars more on an unknown bottle might make all the difference.

While Marlborough is considered a classic region for sauvignon blanc, Martinborough, Canterbury/Waipara Valley, Hawke’s Bay and Nelson and other areas throughout the North and South Islands all yield high-quality sauvignon blancs. Styles from regions and specific sites exist, but winemaking efforts not to manipulate too much play a pivotal role here. With lower yields, better selection of clones and yeast, wiser decisions made on picking time as well as lees contact and choices of maturing vessels, more Kiwi sauvignons now have purity, engaging complexity and depth. Producers like Dog Point, Greywacke, Cloudy Bay, Clos Henri, Villa Maria, Craggy Range, Ata Rangi and Neudorf, among many others, make excellent wines with drive and energy, while a few producers like Pegasus Bay offer great buys with the sauvignon-semillon blend.

Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand can also be as age-worthy as many Loire bottles (most notably Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and the less-known but great-value Menetou-Salon). But there’s not as much patience for an outstanding NZ sauvignon blanc as there is on an outstanding Chablis, for example. Most consumers are so tempted to binge on the fresh, crisp character and aromatic allure of the wine that they forget an absorbing kiwi sauvignon blanc also keeps well. I find those wines with reductive characters on top of excellent concentration and acidity, such as what the classic, composed Dog Point often produces with a tell-tale struck match, flinty character (turning at some point to rotten eggs), which seems to “block” the fruit from oxidation, can create an even longer shelf life.

Sauvignon blanc may be a mixed bag in New Zealand, and plenty of wines can be commercial, some in an off-dry style, but the best can be as focused and contained as a striking Sancerre with restrained complexity, finesse and immense drinkability. The following 10 wines (all 92-93 points) make a memorable flight for sauvignon blanc where quality meets value. For those New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc haters, maybe it’s time to give it a second thought.