Different Styles of Sauvignon Blanc
by Brenda Francis

The flavor of wine is affected more by where and how the grapes are grown than anything that happens in the winery. The use of new oak barrels and malolactic fermentation, a process where the wine's crisp fruit acid is changed into a creamy milk acid, contribute to the final nuances as well. These manipulations cannot cover up pour quality grapes and in some cases can diminish the flavor of good quality grapes.

Classic sauvignon blanc usually does not see 'malo' or new oak barrels. Unfortunately, there is a trend in the United States to make every white taste buttery and oaky, like a domestic chardonnay.

Bordeaux has perfected the recipe for sauvignon blanc. White Bordeaux is almost always sauvignon blanc, sometimes with a touch of semillon, fermented and aged in either stainless steel tanks or old French oak barrels. Stainless steel offers clean fruit driven flavors, while old oak, also called neutral oak, polishes the wine just a touch.

Another winning recipe is from Sancerre in the Loire Valley of France. Sauvignon blanc from this area is complex and alluring. Sauvignon blanc from the appellation of Pouilly Fumé in the Loire possesses notes of smoke, minerals, and flowers along with the classic grapefruit and melon notes. The use of oak is often dismissed or used with extreme prudence.

Sauvignon blanc has put New Zealand on the map in terms of quality. The sunny days, cool nights, and ocean breezes of Marlborough offer sauvignon blanc the perfect growing environment. New Zealand's explosive flavors of pink grapefruit and mango are reasonably priced and an exceptional value.

California offers a mixture of styles when it comes to sauvignon blanc. Some producers insist on using new French oak barrels, but more and more are looking to the techniques of Loire Valley to create elegant, polished sauvignon blanc. Read the label carefully and you can usually find out if the wine has been age in new oak, stainless steel, or has undergone malolactic fermentation. Recognizing these styles can help you understand the flavor profiles of sauvignon blanc and allow you to purchase one more suited to your tastes.

Brenda Francis