Sauvignon Blanc
Many people think that no great wines are made from the Sauvignon Blanc.
However, this grape is one of the most popular white grape varieties in the world. The grape is quite versatile. On the one hand, accessible wines are made from it. In addition, in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé the world’s most pronounced aromatic dry white wines are made from it.
The modern wine drinker is often looking for a wine that offers them direct freshness and fruit, instead of a very subtle wine that has storage potential. A Sauvignon Blanc wine is ideal for them. The most important characteristic of the grape is the penetrating and immediately recognizable aroma. What is special is that the different stages of ripeness produce very different aromas. At the start of the ripening, keys of boxwood, bell pepper and elderberry can be recognized. As soon as the fruits ripen, aromas of passion fruit and gooseberry develop. When the grapes reach the over-ripe stage, you can taste melon.
Origin of the grape
The Sauvignon Blanc is originally from France. In the Bordeaux wine region, it is often mixed with Semillon. The best wines from this grape are made in the Loire and New Zealand. Excellent wines are produced in Marlborough in particular. Also good but slightly lesser wines are made in Touraine in the Loire.
Color, smell and taste of the Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is often aged in wood in the famous wine villages of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé in the northern French Loire. This creates aromas such as citrus. This happens after the wines are produced in airtight tanks. The juice of the Sauvignon Blanc is very sensitive to oxygen. As a result of the reaction with oxygen, the aromas of boxwood and green pepper disappear. This is the only way to preserve the mineral in the white wine.
Sauvignon Blanc wine
Very different wines are made from the Sauvignon Blanc. The grape produces beautiful mineral wines in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. In New Zealand it is all about very fresh and fruity wines. In the Marlborough region very complex wines are made in which aromas of boxwood, lime and passion fruit can be discovered. In Chile they also make wines from the Sauvignon Blanc. Tight and fresh wines are produced in the Casablanca Valley (close to the coast).