Sauvignon Blanc: white magic
Stand-alone or boosting a blend, this unforgettable character loves good food and makes good times
Freshly, lively, food-friendly Sauvignon Blanc is among the most instantly recognizable varietals. It flaunts piercing aromas of gooseberry, cut grass, asparagus, flowering currant, green pepper, nettles—and even cat’s pee. This cool climate grape reaches its apex of aromatic intensity and zesty crispness in France’s Loire Valley (showing a minerally, flinty, smoky, lemony character in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé) and in New Zealand (often bursting with ripe tropical fruit flavours in wines of the South Island’s Marlborough region).
In Bordeaux, it is traditionally blended with Sémillon to make less intense whites to go with local fruit de mers, and also sweet, botrytised dessert wine. Use of oak is the exception. Examples of oak aged Sauvignon Blanc include white Graves, a Sémillon blend, and Fumé Blanc, a name invented by Robert Mondavi for oak style Sauvignon Blanc.
Quick facts
- Coined in California in 1981, the term Meritage (pronounced like heritage) is the trademark for wines blended from traditional Bordeaux varieties
- White Meritage is made by blending two or more of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Vert
- Chile’s Casablanca region and South Africa’s Cape region are successful Sauvignon Blanc producers
Best way to enjoy
Food pairings: Loire style with goat’s cheese, asparagus quiche, salad, light fish, oysters; New Zealand style with flavourful seafood, vegetables, pork (slightly sweet and cooked with spices) and Meritage with richly sauced fish dishes, lobster
Temperature: 6-8 C
Type of glass: tulip-shaped wine glass
Read more of the original stories celebrated in our 30th-anniversary issue.
New CPR Guidelines Tell us to Sing!
The sun is dancing across the sky and spring is in the air. You’re ready to celebrate with your first round of golf. Hefting your bag over your shoulder, the weight adds only a beat to your brisk walk, but your buddy—the one who longingly eyed the golf carts—is...
Spokes and Wheels of Progress
I was late for school. My new 10-speed— salvation! Throwing my math book into a plastic shopping bag, I fled breakfast to negotiate the cars, fences and cats through the alley to arrive at the 20th street stop sign; purring through it without a care. Thirteen year...
Canadian Culinary Championships 2012
“Are you looking for a fishmonger?” calls out Jon Crofts, co-owner of Kelowna’s Codfather’s fish and seafood market.
It’s the eve of the Canadian Culinary Championships and Jon has been hoping all night that the mystery wine, the feature element of the first leg of the competition, will be white—and he’s in luck. While the competitors won’t know it until 24 hours later, the bottle is an Old Vines Riesling from Chateau des Charmes in Niagara (although many mistake it for the Okanagan’s own Tantalus Riesling).
Duette Shades
Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades are the company’s most energy-efficient product and the fastest-growing innovation in the extremely popular cellular category. Uncovered windows can literally be energy holes, depleting a home of up to half of its heating and cooling energy dollars…
When Disaster Strikes
Stutters Disaster Kleenup is a case study in effective business management and corporate citizenship. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Kelowna-based company employs more than 115 people and operates from five locations …
Joining Forces
As one of the most highly respected insurance and investment planning firms in BC, the Peacock Sheridan Group (PSG) is very excited to have Rusty Bracken and his clients join the team. Rusty’s primary goal when looking to become part of an advisory firm was to find a team that would …
0 Comments