A bit like having a water pistol shot straight in the face, a cool glass of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand can slap you right out of your late-summer stupor.

Combining refreshing characteristics of tight acidity and zingy citrus fruit, the wine's sharp flavors work brilliantly with a cold plate of maguro (tuna) sashimi, slicing through the succulent flesh and accentuating its meaty flavor.

Sauvignon Blanc is a masochist of grape variety and New Zealand winegrowers have found to their delight that the worse it is treated the better it thrives. The Kiwi Sauvignons that have become world famous are grown on poor stony soils, mainly in the Marlborough region, in the northeast of the South Island. After the grape is harvested, it's bunged straight into stainless-steel tanks for fermentation and bottled as soon as possible.