APPEARANCE

ON THE VINE: Small to medium bunches; compact, tightly packed clusters; conical in shape, almost cylindrical.

IN THE GLASS: Usually bright white with a straw hue, or with hints of lime green when young and fresh.

SMELL

An aromatic varietal with odours ranging from “cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush” to nettles, herbs, peppers, wafts of fresh asparagus and grass. Sometimes there’s a distinctive smell of hot, earthy stones and (gun) flint. Herbal

TASTE

Typically crisp, green and lively – ‘racy’, even, due to its acidity and the freshness of those flavours that carry through from the nose – the grassy herbaceousness. The three main styles include: those that are stony, steely, flinty, herbaceous, austere and sometimes exhibiting freshly-cut grass, with peppery tones, occasionally gun-barrels (cordite); those from riper fruit that produce gooseberry, bell-pepper and asparagus flavours; and those full-ripe or aged examples that take on strong vegetal, mushroom and fig-preserve features. Another style is the wooded version, Fumé Blanc or Blanc Fumé, which can be confused with Chenin, Chardonnay, even Semillon.

ORIGIN

The literature suggests that it has its origins in France, particularly Bordeaux. Nowadays it is France’s fourth most planted grape with the majority of plantings found in Bordeaux where it is responsible for huge amounts of Bordeaux Blanc. Alternatively it is blended with Semillon to produce the typical Graves white blend. It is also the grape used for the great dessert wines of Sauternes, notably Chateau d’Yquem. Perhaps its best varietal expression can be found in the Loire – in Sancerre and Pouilly Fume specifically, where it results in wonderful flinty, mineral wines. The Languedoc in the south of France also has large plantings but because of the relative warmth of this area, the varietal expression is not as good.

IN SOUTH AFRICA

No one is quite certain how or when the grape was first planted locally although records reflect that it was available sometime before 1926, when documented in a handbook by Prof Abraham Perold. Back then it formed only a small part of the national vineyard, but there was a resurgence in interest in the early 1970s when material was propagated from the research institute at Nietvoorbij. Interestingly, the vines were planted near the institute’s weather station – which is why many farmers still refer to that type of Sauvignon Blanc as the “weerstasie kloon”. The Bergkelder drove the expansion and the first modern plantings were at Le Bonheur in Stellenbosch and Meerendal in Durbanville in 1976. Plantings then spread virtually throughout the Cape and, according to former Uitkyk winemaker Theo Brink: “The first ‘modern’ Sauvignon Blanc was released by Le Bonheur as a Blanc Fumé, even though it hadn’t been wooded.”

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Besides France, Sauvignon is widely planted in New Zealand, Chile and California.

AGEING POTENTIAL

Usually best drunk young – within one to three years of purchase – although there have been some delightful exceptions to the rule, especially from Constantia in the case of SA Sauvignon.

MATCHING WITH FOOD

Quite versatile, as it goes particularly well with pasta – even with fairly tart, tomato based sauces; fish, shellfish, spicy Chinese or Thai food, asparagus and salads.

SERVING TEMPERATURE

Between 8° and 14° C.