SauvignonBlanc's origins are traced to Bordeaux in France.The grape is the parent varietal of Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine made fromSauvignon Blanc tend to be light in body with a fragrant, fruity noseas wellas a scent called "herbaceous." The taste is fruity and tart, and thefinish is normally crisp. "Old World"Sauvignon Blancs sometimes have a "mineral" character.
SauvignonBlanc is an extremely food friendly wine, largely because of its acidity. Somesee "acidity" and think "sour." "Tartness" is abetter synonym. Imagine lemon juice or lime juiceacidic and sour on its own.But a splash of either in some club soda or tonic water makes the tartnesspleasant. The acidity of the wine cuts through flavors that can be real winekillers.
I'lldiscuss food pairings below, but hot peppery foods go exceptionally well withSauvignon Blanc. Why? The chemical compound that creates heat is called Capsaicin.If you sift through some memories to high school chemistry, Capsaicin is astrong base.Sauvignon Blanc is acidic, and acids neutralize bases. Sauvignon Blanc andspicy food tames the tartness and heat, allowing the food's flavor and thewine's fruit to shine through.
AsI discussed with Pinot Noir, the terroir has a major effect on theflavor. For comparison's sake, I chose three very different versions:
Veramonte2008 Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) – $10-12
Yvecourt 2007 Bordeaux (France) – $9-11
Villa Maria 2008 Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) – $13-15
TheVeramonte has the fruitiest nose with a distinct scent of grapefruit and mangoes.The Yvecourt's was somewhat fruity, but much more floral and had a bit of ascent of herbs, as many Sauvignons do. The Villa Maria was the most complex .The herbaceous scent mellowed after a good swirl into pineapples and vanilla.
Thetastes were very different. The Veramonte was tart and very crisp. The finishwas tropical and a little peppery. The Yvecourt was light tasting with a littlegentle citrus flavor. The finish was extremely dry with that mineral flavor.The Villa Maria was the most complex and full-bodied. The fruit was coupledwith vanilla. The finish was the least dry and was the longest, graduallygetting tarter.
TheVeramonte was the most drinkable and refreshing on its own or paired with anythingspicy, especially Thai food. The Yvecourt goes with any kind of shellfish.Crab, shrimp, calamarianything along those lines is a winner. The Villa Maria isfull enough to pair with chicken, pork, and some cream sauces.
Classdismissed…
