All about Sauvignon Blanc Wine

Philippines wine supplier Manila wine shop discusses wine by the grape variety SAUVIGNON BLANC.

October 4, 2010

Sauvignon Blanc

Charles Wetmore, founder of Cresta Blanca winery, brought the first cuttings of Sauvignon Blanc to California in the 1880s. Some came from the vineyards of the legendary Sauternes Chateau Y’Quem, world’s most expensive and famous dessert wine. These plantings did well in the Livermore Valley and Sauvignon Blanc became one of the early American favorite wines, albeit mostly in a sweet style.

Eventually, Sauvignon Blanc lost favor with American palates, but regained popularity as a dry wine, often under an alias in California, where it is now sometimes labeled as “Fumé Blanc”.

Sauvignon Blanc vines tend to be quite vigorous growers, so it is especially important to manage the canopy by careful pruning and even by thinning leaves and shoots to direct the plant’s energy towards ripening the fruit. Unrestrained growth and over-cropping result in neutral-tasting wines of little interest.

The varietal identity of Sauvignon Blanc is typically similar to grass, bell-pepper, or grapefruit in nature. New Zealanders liken it to “gooseberry”, but that is not a familiar smell or flavor to most Americans. The level of pyrazine, a compound naturally-occuring in Sauvignon Blanc, influences whether its varietal character is mild or intense. Quite often, Sauvignon Blanc can pick up an aggressive “catbox” odor if the grapes lack sun exposure or are harvested underripe.

Clonal selection and viticultural practices that expose the grapes to more sunlight yield wine that is more melon-like in aroma. Development of hardier clones has helped production levels, which were irregular in humid climates, due to this variety’s propensity to develop “powdery mildew” and “black rot”. Although UC Davis’ Foundation Plant Services has 22 registered clones, FPS estimates that 98% of all California plantings since 2000 use the Wente clone FPS 01, originating from the 1880 Wetmore vines.

Barrel-fermentation, although not commonly used for this variety when compared to Chardonnay, can also modify the Sauvignon Blanc aroma and add complexities. Blending Sauvignon Blanc with Semillon is a common practice that can add richness and an extra element of figs to the aroma, softening the sometimes abrasive Sauvignon Blanc character.

This blending is widespread in the Graves district of France’s Bordeaux region (normally 75-85% Sauvignon Blanc to 15-25% Semillon). In the communes of Sauternes and Barsac, a blend of 60-70% Semillon with 30-40% Sauvignon Blanc is more typical. When allowed to hang, past the normal ripeness point for dry table wine, the grape flavors may be concentrated by the influence of a naturally-occurring mold known as “Noble Rot” (Botrytis cinerea), to make the area’s famous dessert wines.

Loire Valley wines made from Sauvignon Blanc, such as Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre, are most often 100% Sauvignon Blanc, unblended and usually made without the use of oak.

For many years, California wineries made wine from Sauvignon Blanc grapes, with very little consistency of style: some made bone-dry wines after the fashion of the French in the Graves and Loire regions, while others chose to make very sweet, dessert-style wines after the Sauternes and Barsacs. Even if the sweet wines are left from consideration, there are plenty of inconsistencies within the group of dry wines to leave consumers confused.

Keeping the French traditional methods in mind, the California production and marketing practices are decidedly ironic. California producers tend to use the Loire-derived Fumé Blanc name and bottle shape for their blended and oak-aged wines (more like the Bordelais). Meanwhile, the California Sauvignon Blancs that are 100% varietal and most likely without oak in fermentation or aging (distinctly Loire-like practices), are most often bottled in Bordeaux-style bottles!

Besides France and California, Sauvignon Blanc also is produced successfully by New Zealand and South Africa (excellent in both), Chile, Argentina, and, to lesser degrees of production, Washington State, Australia, and Italy, where it is expanding. With fairly good tonnage per acre and lacking the inflationary consumer demand of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc is often a very good value.

Sauvignon Blanc is usually quite distinctive and one of the easier varietal wines to recognize by its often sharp, aggressive smell. The most common (but not exclusive) smell and/or flavor elements found in sauvignon blanc-based wines include:

With naturally high acidity, Sauvignon Blanc is always tangy, tart, nervy, racy, or zesty, and this character pervades even sweet and dessert versions, keeping them from being cloying and sticky-tasting.

Dry-style Sauvignon or Fumé Blancs are very versatile in accompanying foods and can handle components such as tomatoes, bell peppers, cilantro, raw garlic, smoked cheeses or other pungent flavors that would clash with or overpower many Chardonnays and almost all other dry whites. In fact, Sauvignon Blanc is probably the best dry white wine to accompany the greatest variety of foods.

Source: http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/sauv_blanc.htm

This wine shop in Manila Philippines makes wine shopping a really rewarding and exciting exercise.  Wine shops in Pampanga should always have an element of surprise so that customers and wine lovers can enjoy a little bit of thrill when they go to a wine shop in Manila to look for a good bottle of wine in Clark Pampanga.

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is the most revered wine in China and many other parts of Asia.  The best wine shop in Asia to buy older vintages of Chateau Lafite is Yats Wine Cellars located in Clark Philippines.   Aside from Lafite, visitors can buy other fine wines at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Latour, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and Margaux.  Excellent Burgundy wines like Chambertin, Vougeot, Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Pommard, Meursault, Chambertin, Vosne Romanee, Romanee Conti, La Tache and Romanee St. Vivant can be found here.

Family outings, picnics, company outings and other events for up to 300 can be held in the picnic grounds of this wine shop.  Events that have been successfully organized here include family fun days and BBQ picnics.  These are some of the things that visitors to Clark Philippines particular look forward.  Residents and tourists in Angeles City and Subic also come to Clark Freeport to partake in the fun at this Clark wine shop.

This wine shop’s vast selection of vintage wines makes it possible for Yats Wine Cellars to offer a unique line-up of wines for every private wine party, wine tasting or wine dinners.  Guests of these private wine parties are treated to a rare experience of vintage wine not seen in wine shops in major cities in Philippines or even in Asia.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay