Sauvignon Blanc

Definition - What does Sauvignon Blanc mean?

Sauvignon Blanc, commonly known as Sauvignon, is a white wine originally from Bordeaux. The grapes used to produce this wine grow in warmer climates in regions like Australia, California, New Zealand and South Africa that have sunny climates but not overpowering heat. The flexibility during the winemaking process, like a wide range of temperature to select from during fermentation, makes Sauvignon Blanc a popular wine as it can easily be processed even at home. Sauvignon Blanc is also one of the noble white grape varieties that include Chardonnay and Riesling.

WineFrog explains Sauvignon Blanc

During the process of making Sauvignon Blanc, to preserve the grape’s fruitiness, fermentation is performed in low temperatures (5°C to 10°C) in stainless steel tanks. In about just four months of fermentation, the wine is fined, filtered and bottled.

It's recommended to consume Sauvignon Blanc when it is young as it does not benefit from aging. Because of Sauvignon Blanc’s dry and crisp character, it is considered an alternative to Chardonnay. However, the final Sauvignon product is a little different from Chardonnay; unlike Chardonnay the Sauvignon Blanc when ready has a rather distinct sharp and piercing smell.

One of the best qualities of Sauvignon Blanc is that it does not experience bottle shock. Given that the wine flavors are not silenced or displaced after bottling and shaking, makes it easy to store.