Sauvignon Blanc: The English Country Garden
Here’s my VINALOGY for Sauvignon Blanc to make its personality easier to remember:
Imagine a cool, crisp, spring morning in Kent, the ‘Garden of England’, just after a light shower of rain. Strolling around you catch the aroma of freshly cut grass, nettles and ferns. Gooseberry bushes and pale yellow elderflower gracefully frame a wet stone pathway and the faint hint of classical music is just audible in the background. Ah, the peace and tranquillity. But what’s this? The rain has stopped and the clouds have parted. The garden has taken on a more tropical vibe and I swear the plants have grown bigger. Look what happens when you add some sun!
Sauvignon Blanc is arguably the most recognisable white grape variety around, which also means it can split the judges. This is because along with its zesty, grass and wet stone flavours come distinctive aromas that its fans describe as elderflower, its dissenters as cat pee. Now, you may prefer this pale yellow, green-tinged wine its more reserved, English garden mode, in which case you’d head straight for cool climate France. If you’re more of a party fiend however, digging the louder, more tropical vibe, then head somewhere with a little more sunshine in the New World.
SAUVIGNON BLANC SIPS SAFARI
Top get the measure of this grape, start by comapring three from the most famous regions for it globally:
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No 1: Loire Valley, France
France’s Loire Valley is Sauvignon’s first home and the appellation of Sancerre, which is Sauvignon but named after the village, is the most famous production area. Here you’ll find classic, country garden aromas in a subtle, refined style. For less expensive, more accessible Sauvignon in this still style however, seek out the wines from Touraine. Or, for a more complex, flinty, smoky savvy B, take a peek at the style made in Pouilly Fumé. That’s terroir for you!
Try: Sancerre ‘Les Marennes’, £18.50 om offer (Was £22.50) Waitrose
No 2: Marlborough, New Zealand
Sauvignon has a permanent holiday home in New Zealand, where Marlborough is its most famous region. Equally happy here as it is in France, the flavour volume is turned right up and someone has brought out the tinned asparagus and tropical fruit! You can’t do Sauvignon Blanc without trying one from Marlborough but it’s great all around both islands, especially Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa.
Try: Yealands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025, £8 Asda
Sauvignon Blanc 3: Bordeaux, France
Dry Sauvignon Blanc is also a staple in Bordeaux, though it’s often eclipsed by the red wines. It’s one half of the famous white Bordeaux blend and you can also find it here as a single varietal. Look to the Graves sub region for particularly fine white wines that Thomas Jefferson would adore as well as to local, simple and much cheaper, single varietal Sauvignons.
Try: Sainsbury’s Bordeaux Sauvignon, Taste the Difference, £8.50, Sainsbury’s
Also try:
Happily for Savvy B lovers, you can find this grape all over the world now. For amazing value and smoky grapefruit notes, head to cool-climate Chile’s Casablanca and Leyda Valleys. For more powerful style, also look to Napa Valley in California and Elgin and Stellenbosch in South Africa.
Sauvignon Blanc is…
Pale lemon-green in colour
Body is usually elegant and light
All about cut grass, wet stone, elderflower and, sometimes, guava
The star grape of Sancerre, France and Marlborough, New Zealand
The world’s greatest grape to pair with goats cheese