Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular white wines worldwide and the reason you can find a huge variety on our website. Although the Sauvignon grape’s origin is in the French Loire Valley region, Sauvignon Blanc can easily be grown everywhere in the world. Because of this, you can buy so many different varieties and types of styles. The most important wine-growing countries that cultivate high-quality Sauvignon Blanc in their vineyards are France, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, and the US.

Depending on the various locations where Sauvignon Blanc is grown, the colour can range from a pale, light straw over a greenish-yellow to a deep yellow. Additionally, the climatic differences of the separate locations impact the flavour profiles and offer unique tastes.

Cool climate wine regions like New Zealand and Australia are known to produce a classic Sauvignon Blanc with sharp acidity and greener notes including freshly cut grass, zesty citrus and lime, gooseberries, and passionfruit. In contrast, a warmer climate in the United States or South Africa offers notes of tropical fruits such as white peach, grapefruit, and honeydew melon. Besides, the acidity of these wines is relatively moderate.

While Australia has a hot climate, the Sauvignon Blanc is mainly planted in the regions that provide a cooler climate. The vineyards can be found around Adelaide Hills and South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia, focusing on the Margarete River region.

A Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect summer wine because the white wine is refreshing and very fruity on the palate. The white wine can be described as a light- to medium-bodied, dry varietal wine with high acidity that makes it perfect for a sunny summer day. The wine’s richness, as well as the freshness and its crisp acidity, are easy to recognize for every wine lover.

A day to remember for everyone that loves a glass of Sauvignon Blanc is the International Sauvignon Blanc Day. The first Friday in May is reserved on the wine calendar for this famous white varietal wine. So make sure you have a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc at hand. If not, make sure to add a bottle to your cart when ordering your next case of beers, ciders, sparkling wine, or spirits.

How long can you keep Sauvignon Blanc?

Many wines can be aged in your cellar over long periods, but is not one of them. Although white wines can age as well as fine red wines, only the ones that are produced with aging in mind should be cellared. In contrast, a Sauvignon Blanc is a mass-production wine that should be consumed young. For that reason, consume the varietal white wine shortly after purchase and store an unopened bottle for a maximum of two years.

Once having opened your Sauvignon Blanc, the best way to store the bottle is doing so in the refrigerator using a wine or a vacuum stopper. With a wine stopper, you stop air from entering your bottle, whereas a vacuum stopper enables you to suck the air out of the bottle. Therefore, both tools stop the oxidation process, which would make your Sauvignon Blanc go bad when being open for too long.

Because Sauvignon Blanc is a light to medium-bodied wine that oxidizes very quickly, it is advised to store the white wine for a maximum of five to seven days in the fridge. After that timespan, only use the white wine for cooking. The reason is that white wines are typically very sensitive to temperature and light, and flavours can change very quickly once the bottle has been opened.

If you don’t know whether your wine has gone bad, here are a few options for you to find out if your Sauvignon Blanc is still drinkable or not. A colour change can be the first indicator that your wine has gone bad. If you re-open the still wine and hear a hiss or a pop, that also means that the bad went terrible. A dry Sauvignon Blanc that smells very sweet, like vinegar or damp should also be thrown away. Ultimately, a fizzy or flat-tasting Sauvignon Blanc is also not very tasty anymore.

How to serve Sauvignon Blanc?

When having guests at your house for a get-together or a party, it is essential what you serve and how you serve it. Choosing a Sauvignon Blanc is, therefore, an excellent choice to check what to serve. When it comes to serving the white wine, avoid using a decanter and pour the white wine into the corresponding u-shaped white wine glasses that distribute the fruity aromas effortlessly.

The ideal temperature for serving a glass of Sauvignon Blanc is between eight and twelve degrees Celsius. For that reason, serving white wine chilled is essential. Warmer temperatures tend to make the alcohol come out stronger while flavours and acidity will take a back seat. But serving it too cold isn’t good either. Doing so would mute all the aromas and flavours the white wine contains.

A good rule of thumb would be to store the wine for about two hours in the refrigerator or for half an hour in the ice compartment of your fridge before serving.

The perfect serving size for a glass of white wine is about 150ml. Everything more is being generous. Once you have a delicious Sauvignon Blanc in your glass, make sure to hold only the stem of your white wine glass between your thumb and forefinger. Holding the bowl of the glass with your hand would heat the wine which you want to avoid.

What to pair with Sauvignon Blanc?

Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect accompaniment for a lot of food pairing occasions. The wine fits basically to everything. However, when pairing Sauvignon Blanc, keep in mind that the white wine is very light and has a high acidity level. For that reason, make sure that your pairing is also light in taste. Otherwise, you will overpower this delicious wine with your dish.

As the wine is very versatile, you can enjoy a range of foods with it. When combining the white wine with meat, ensure you offer dishes containing white meat such as chicken or turkey. A fish lover will enjoy a fresh Sauvignon Blanc with everything fish and seafood. The options include but aren’t limited to salmon, cod, haddock, oysters, crabs, and lobster. Also, Japanese sushi can be an intriguing pairing.

When pairing the wine with cheese, make sure to choose soft and flavourful, aromatic cheeses. Tasty options to combine a Sauvignon Blanc with are Greek feta, Italian parmesan or mozzarella di bufala, as well as French goat cheese and chèvre.

Due to the greener notes that are apparent in a Sauvignon Blanc coming from cooler climates, green vegetables such as zucchini, green bell peppers, leek, and asparagus are a perfect match. These vegetables enable the acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc to shine through. A good idea might also be to combine a variety of the mentioned ingredients. A green salad with feta cheese and chicken stripes would make a very tasty option to consider.

Due to its high acidity levels, a Sauvignon Blanc pairs exceptionally well with spicy Asian dishes as well as Mediterranean dishes and makes for an excellent counterpart. Green Thai curries or Vietnamese Pho soups instantly come to mind. Also, think of grilled fish and simple pasta dishes from Italy that work very good with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.