What is in this category
Sauvignon Blanc is an aromatic white grape with high acidity and flavours ranging from gooseberry, lime and cut grass to passion fruit. This category lists Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, the Loire Valley, Chile, South Africa and elsewhere, plus Loire wines named after their place, such as Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Touraine, and a few white blends.
Regions and styles
- Marlborough, New Zealand: intense, tropical and zesty.
- Loire Valley, France: Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are more restrained and mineral; Touraine offers lighter, good value styles. The grape is not always named on the label.
- Chile and South Africa: fresh, often good value, with citrus and herbal notes.
- Bordeaux: often blended with Sémillon, sometimes aged in oak, giving rounder wines.
Choosing a bottle
Most Sauvignon Blanc is made to be drunk young, within two or three years of the vintage, while its aromas are fresh. Choose Marlborough if you like bold, fruity flavours and the Loire if you prefer something more restrained and mineral. Oak aged versions, often labelled fumé or from Bordeaux, are fuller and can age a little longer.
Serving and food
Serve at about 7 to 10°C. Very cold wine hides the aromas that make this grape popular. Sauvignon Blanc suits goat’s cheese, salads, asparagus, fish with herbs and dishes with lime, coriander or chilli. Recork and refrigerate an opened bottle; it keeps fresh for a few days.
Common mistakes
Keeping bottles too long, which dulls the fresh aromas; over chilling; and assuming every Sauvignon Blanc tastes like Marlborough. The Loire and Bordeaux make quite different styles from the same grape.
Buying and storing
Compare listings carefully: the same wine is often offered as a single bottle, in a gift box or as part of a case, at different prices, and sometimes in more than one vintage. Check the vintage and bottle size on each listing. Keep unopened bottles on their side, somewhere cool, dark and away from vibration; a cupboard away from radiators and the oven is fine for wines you plan to open within a year or two. Shops sell alcohol only to adults aged 18 and over, and the UK Chief Medical Officers advise not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
Other grapes like Sauvignon Blanc
If you enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, other crisp, aromatic whites to explore include dry Riesling, Albariño from north west Spain, Verdejo from Rueda, Grüner Veltliner from Austria and Bacchus from England. All share fresh acidity and are usually unoaked.
Common questions
Is Sancerre a Sauvignon Blanc?
White Sancerre, from the eastern Loire Valley, is made from Sauvignon Blanc. So is Pouilly-Fumé across the river.
Is Sauvignon Blanc dry?
Almost always. Its ripe fruit flavours can seem sweet, but most Sauvignon Blanc is fermented to dryness.
How long does Sauvignon Blanc keep?
Most is best within two or three years of the vintage. Oak aged versions from Bordeaux or the Loire can keep longer.