Sauvignon Blanc - fruity, tangy, mineral, exotic

Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh, tangy and dry white wine and, thanks to its fruity and pleasing flavours, is also a wine for inexperienced wine drinkers. King Henry IV's favourite wine variety was already being produced in France in the 18th century and is now the second most important white wine variety in the world. Around 11,000 hectares are planted with Sauvignon Blanc vines worldwide, including vineyards in South Africa. Here, the wine has less acidity, more body and mineral, slightly smoky flavours, as well as notes of exotic fruits, herbs and grasses. Sauvignon Blanc is rather dry when vinified on its own. In cuvées, it can be found in the sweet wine Sauternes, but it is also often blended with Sémillon, Chardonnay or Gewürztraminer.

More about Sauvignon Blanc

Over the last few decades, Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa has developed its very own fruity, tangy style, which distinguishes it from Sauvignon Blancs from other classic growing regions such as the Loire in France, New Zealand, Chile or California. Its mineral notes and exotic flavours are typical, giving the wine an unmistakable South African signature.

✅ Balance between freshness and maturity
✅ Variety of styles characterised by the terroir
✅ Elegance with substance
✅ Good ageing potential
✅ Excellent price/performance ratio

Profiles

Sauvignon Blanc is a wine for beginners. Even inexperienced wine drinkers can immediately get to grips with its pleasing flavours. The white wine has a lot of fruit, minerality and acidity when grown in cool growing regions with strong sunlight. Sauvignon Blanc, which is grown in South Africa, has less acidity but more body and smoky notes. When the white wine is aged in new wooden barrels, it is less fruity, but has a stronger body and a creamy texture.

Fruit★★★★★

Body★

Tannin★★★★

Acidity★★★★★

Alcohol★★★★

Flavours

Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh, tangy and dry white wine and, thanks to its fruity flavours, a pleasure even for inexperienced wine drinkers. King Henry IV's favourite wine variety was already being produced in France in the 18th century and is now the second most important white wine variety in the world. Around 11,000 hectares are planted with Sauvignon Blanc vines worldwide, including vineyards in South Africa. Here, the wine has less acidity, more body and a mineral elegance, accompanied by smoky nuances and exotic fruit flavours, herbs and grasses. Sauvignon Blanc is rather dry when vinified on its own. In cuvées, it can be found in the sweet wine Sauternes, but is also often blended with Sémillon, Chardonnay or Gewürztraminer.

Dominant notes:

Gooseberry
Green melon
Grapefruit
White peach
Passion fruit

Possible notes:

Herbs/flowers: Grass, jalapeño, ginger, gooseberry, green herbs, green pepper, lemongrass, tomato leaf, pea shoot, apple blossom, jasmine, green asparagus, matcha tea, sage, dill
Citrus: grapefruit, lemon, lime
Tree fruit/melon: white peach, pear, melon
Tropical fruit: passion fruit, kiwi
Earth/other: chalk, slate, saline
Stored in oak: fresh bread, butter

Harmonises with

Sauvignon Blanc is unbeatable as a culinary companion. It goes with practically most dishes. Whether with hearty dishes such as stews or grilled meat, with a wide variety of salads or fish. It goes just as well with pasta dishes with cream sauce as it does with asparagus, Asian dishes or cheese.

General information about Sauvignon Blanc

Kings once favoured Sauvignon Blanc - Henry IV, for example. The French ruler's love of Sauvignon Blanc only ended with his death. No wonder that Sauvignon Blanc is one of the noblest grape varieties in its native France.

After the white wine grape Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc is the second most important variety for the production of white wine. The vine was first cultivated in the 18th century in the French Loire Valley and in the Bordelais. It is thought to be one of the Carmenere vines. Other names are Blanc Fumé and Sauvignon Jaune. Traminer and Chenin Blanc were crossed for them.

From France, the grape variety conquered the world from the end of the 18th century onwards. Today it can be found in the old and new wine world and is one of the twenty most frequently cultivated grape varieties. Worldwide, 11,000 hectares of vineyards are planted with Sauvignon Blanc. It is often found in France, South Africa, Spain, Italy, the United States, New Zealand, Chile, Australia, Romania and Argentina.

When producing Sauvignon Blanc, winegrowers usually focus on bringing out the terroir, which is why the flavours of the white wine vary depending on the country of cultivation. When grown on limestone soils, Sauvignon is round, nutty and creamy; when grown on flint, it is smoky and savoury. The vine generally prefers lean and dry soils on dry, steep slopes.

The result is fresh, dry white wines with a lively character. If Sauvignon Blanc is vinified as a single variety, it tends to be dry. However, it is also often used as a base wine in cuvées, such as in the sweet wine Sauternes. Sauvignon Blanc is also often blended with the white grape varieties Sémillon, Chardonnay or Gewürztraminer.