Episode description

This is the third in the series of Grape Miniseries Refreshes to complete the trifecta of Cabernet Sauvignon and parents – Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.

The short of it: Sauvignon blanc has character!! Love it or hate it, you know what you’re getting when you have a wine made from this grape. Whether it be citrusy, acidic, and minerally from Loire, fruitier and sometimes oak aged from Bordeaux, or pungent, spicy, and grapefruit-noted from New Zealand, this grape makes and impact wherever it goes.

Photo: Sauvignon Blanc. Credit: Austrian Wine

Grown in more than 30 countries, Sauvignon blanc is the 11th most planted wine grape in the world. (OIV, 2017). One third of Sauvignon blanc is in France, with New Zealand a close second.

As with every grape, Sauvignon blanc has its quirks, but the grape is all about purity, rather than winemaking magic. With specific soils and sites this grape’s beauty shines through in its crystal-clear flavors. Sauvignon is appreciated for its simplicity, its ease of drinking and its versatility – the grape makes dry whites, oaky whites, simple whites, more complex ones, Sauternes and other botrytis affected wines. Whatever it’s used it, it makes a mark with great acidity and strong flavor.

In this show I cover:

• The origins and DNA of the grape
• Sauvignon Blanc in the vineyard
• Aromas and flavors
• Main Regions:
  • France: Loire (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé), Bordeaux
  • Spain, especially Rueda
  • Italy: Piedmont, Friuli, Alto Adige
  • Austria, especially Styria
  • New Zealand!!! Synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc
  • Chile
  • South Africa
  • United States: Especially California's North Coast -- Napa, Sonoma, and Washington

I cover food pairings and serving temperatures too.

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