Sauv Blanc best to pair with tail-end of summer

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This article was published 17/08/2024 (455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For summer sipping, it’s hard to beat a well-chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Sure, Pinot Grigio is light and fresh, but it often lacks the lively, vibrant fruit flavours and racy acidity of Sauvignon Blanc. And yes, Chardonnay’s great, but it’s often made in a rounder, richer style (especially when oaked) that doesn’t translate as well on hot summer days.

France’s Loire Valley is considered the homeland of Sauvignon Blanc, but it’s in New Zealand where the grape has been embraced more than any other winemaking region. Producers there have been making boatloads of citrus-driven, sometimes-grassy and typically mouth-watering white wines that have captivated wine drinkers the world over.

Tasting New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc next to examples made in other parts of the world — and make no mistake, almost every winemaking region in the world is producing Sauv Blanc — shows the impressive stylistic range the grape offers. From lean and green to tantalizingly tropical, Sauvignon Blanc is anything but a one-trick pony.

And while the flavour profile of Sauvignon Blanc varies from Bordeaux to British Columbia to Spain, South Africa and beyond, most examples share a common trait — they’re rarely, if ever, aged in oak barrels. The wine is typically made in stainless steel tanks, which allows the fruit to shine through, and quickly bottled in order to maximize the wine’s freshness when it lands in our market.

In other words, it’s the ideal white wine to soak in the tail end of summer.

Wines of the week

Here are a half-dozen Sauvignon Blancs from six different wine-producing regions for peak summer sipping…

Santa Carolina 2022 Carolina Reserva Sauvignon Blanc (Leyda Valley, Chile — $12.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Pale straw in colour, this Chilean Sauvignon Blanc brings lemon and lime rind, tart peach, herbal and gooseberry notes on the nose.

It’s a dry and light-bodied white, with fun passionfruit, gooseberry, lime and grassy notes on the palate, medium acidity and a modest finish (it’s 13 per cent alcohol).

There’s a hint of bell pepper on the flavour profile as well, but it’s not overpowering.

A particularly decent deal right now, as it’s on sale until the end of August (regular $14.99). 3/5

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Family Tree 2023 Soldier’s Wife Sauvignon Blanc (Niagara Peninsula, Ont. — $17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Very pale straw in colour, this Niagara Sauvignon Blanc (made by the family behind Henry of Pelham wines) offers herbal, lemongrass, lime and grassy notes as well as hints of green apple skin aromatically.

It’s light-bodied and mainly dry, with just a touch of sweetness ramping up the ripe citrus notes, secondary peach candy note, vibrant acidity and, at 12.5 per cent, a relatively short finish.

Crisp and clean and quite tasty. 3.5/5

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Marqués de Cáceres 2023 Sauvignon Blanc (Rueda, Spain — $15.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Pale straw in colour, there’s a lovely chalky note that comes with the lemon pith, crabapple and subtle tropical aromas on this Spanish Sauvignon Blanc.

There’s almost a hint of spritz that comes on the dry, light-bodied, lemony palate, with chalky and green apple flavours adding zip and with vibrant acidity combining with the punchy 14 per cent alcohol to provide length on the finish.

Tame this tasty Sauv Blanc by pairing it with grilled shrimp, citrus-driven salads, soft and mild cheeses or pesto. 3.5/5

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Wente 2021 Louis Mel Sauvignon Blanc (Central Coast, Calif. — around $25, private wine stores)

Pale gold in colour, this California Sauvignon Blanc features grapes grown in the Livermore Valley, located south of Napa and Sonoma and inland from the Pacific coast.

Aromatically it delivers marmalade, green apple, herbal, lemongrass and melon notes; on the dry, light-plus bodied palate those flavours are delivered with medium acidity (less than its New Zealand counterparts), making for an elegant and fruit-forward example of Sauv Blanc.

Available at The Pourium and Kenaston Wine Market. 4/5

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Vol Libre 2022 Sauvignon Blanc (Bordeaux, France — $19.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Medium gold in colour, this Sauvignon Blanc from France’s Bordeaux region is much darker in appearance than the other examples tried, and brings marmalade, ripe tropical fruit, crunchy red apple and a subtle savoury note aromatically.

It’s dry, light-plus bodied and slightly viscous, with ripe peach, tropical fruit and red apple flavours, a slight honeyed component and medium acidity before the modest, 13 per cent alcohol finish.

A lovely contrast stylistically to the leaner, greener examples. 4/5

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Greywacke 2022 Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand — $29.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

The 2022 vintage of this New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc landed in the number 10 spot of Wine Spectator magazine’s list of the 100 best wines of 2023, and it’s easy to see (and taste) why. Very pale straw in colour, it offers intense gooseberry, green apple and peach aromas along with vibrant lemon and herbal notes.

It’s dry and light-bodied, with incredible concentration of flavour, bringing grapefruit, lime, gooseberry and peach flavours, a subtle grassy note, lively acidity, an underlying chalky note and a long, satisfying finish. It’s a stunner that balances elegance and power, punching well above its weight price-wise.

It looks like stores are starting to get the 2023 vintage — rest assured, it should be just as good (and even fresher). 5/5

uncorked@mts.net

@bensigurdson