is a modern New Zealand variety. It was commercially released in 2000 after an extensive breeding and selection program by the Horticulture and Food Research Institute (HFRI) of New Zealand. The Lion Nathan Brewery, based in Australia and New Zealand, worked with HFRI on pilot brewing and sensory evaluation. See lion nathan. The sensory selection was directed toward fruity floral flavor characters. The final hop cultivar showed a unique and intense fruity flavor described as gooseberries, passion fruit, and grapefruit with hints of melon, descriptors often used for the locally grown Sauvignon Blanc wine. Grown in the Motueka Valley near Nelson, this hop with a Sauvingnon Blanc-like aroma was thus named Nelson Sauvin.

The first commercial use of the hop was in the Lion Nathan limited-edition beer Mac’s Aromac in mid-2000. Nelson Sauvin is well-suited to craft beers, seasonal beers, and specialties where distinctive flavors are featured. This hop, of 13% alpha-acid content, is principally used as an aroma variety.

The fruit aroma and intensity are impactful, and judicious use or blending with other varieties is often practiced. In 2009 Japanese researchers identified some of the flavor compounds specific to Nelson Sauvin. Isobutyric esters, including 2-methylbutyl isobutyrate, influenced the green apple and/or apricot-like fruity flavor. Novel thiols, 3-sulphanyl-4-methylpentan-1-ol and 3-sulphalyl-4-methylpentyl acetate, had a grapefruit-like and/or rhubarb-like flavor similar to that found in Sauvignon Blanc.

Nelson Sauvin shoots emerge quite late, then begin growing with considerable vigor, forming into a clavate-framed vine. This club-like shape makes it quite difficult to pick.

See also new zealand.