Grape Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best known white grape varieties with a worldwide distribution. In its home country of France, it is one of the noble grapes, the “Cepage noble”, and is the second most important white wine after Chardonnay . Particularly in the Loire Valley (in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé) and in the region around Bordeaux there are important growing areas. But also in the wine regions of New Zealand , Australia, California and South Africa are high quality white wines made from SB. Internationally, the grape variety also bears the name Fumé Blanc, which originally comes from California. In Germany, the grape variety plays a subordinate role, but in recent years it has been increasingly triumphing here in the wine-growing regions of Palatinate, Rheinhessen and Baden .

Fresh summer wine

Its freshness and crisp acidity are unmistakable for the white wine from Sauvignon Blanc. Hardly a drop whose character is so easy to recognize – even by less experienced wine drinkers! Typical fragrance aromas are citrus fruits, black currant, gooseberry and freshly cut grass, but also herbs and green fruit, combined with mineral notes. Its fruity freshness with the special aroma, which is chemically caused by the high content of pyrazine, makes it more and more fans all over the world. SB is a wine that is often served chilled with food. It goes well with almost all dishes, especially, of course, fish and seafood.

The Tamed Wild

Sauvignon Blanc has a “good family home”: the variety is a natural cross between the Traminer and Chenin Blanc grape varieties. Hence its name: linguists attribute Sauvignon to the French “sauvage”, in German “wild”. The exact origin of the grape variety is not proven. It was first mentioned in documents at the beginning of the 18th century in southwestern France, from where it spread throughout the world over the centuries. The refreshing wines from the Loire are known for their pure and dry white wines from SB, which are also used for the high-quality wines from New Zealand. French winegrowers like to blend Sauvignon Blanc with the milder Sémillon. Noble sweet wines are also made from Sauvignon Blanc infested with noble rot.