02/14/07 Sauvignon Blanc

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today we are discussing the grape varietal Sauvignon. Last week we talked about the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon - Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc depending upon the climate it is grown can be aggressively grassy to sweet and almost tropical in fragrance and flavor. Sauvignon Blanc hails from France and the popularity of the varietal begins in the Graves district of Bordeaux, where it is normally blended with Semillon, and from the Loire Valley where it most often stands alone unblended and unoaked. You may be most familiar with these wines going by the name of Pouilly Fume' and Sancerre. The grapes when allowed to hang on the vines and become quite ripe make such impressive sweet wines as Sauternes and Barsac. The grape is now grown in most all major wine regions of the world and has gained special notoriety as one of the first wine to be bottled with a screwcap. In most cases it is meant to be drunk young and the screwcap is an appropriate closure. In the white wine world Sauvignon Blanc is without a doubt my all around personal favorite. The versatility it exhibits when paired with food is impressive to say the least. It is a true example of its terroir or place of origin and I like that about it too. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.