Most Americans think the only wines worth spending money on are imposing red wines made from cabernet sauvignon or French bubbly. White wines too often are afterthoughts -- and priced accordingly. That's too bad.
While $18 or $20 or $24 for a white wine may seem like a lot, consider all the celebratory value you can get in a bottle of sauvignon blanc. There are plenty of opportunities for partying with "pricier" sauvignon blanc as fall turns to winter. One or more of the brands sampled here could prove to be your go-to white at Thanksgiving, homecoming football games, office holiday parties, wherever you need an accessible yet special white wine.
Sauvigon blanc is worth the money. The wine has personality, a lively snap, a flavor/aroma profile that can range from lush tropical fruit to rain-washed stone. The grape is grown around the world. Some of the best-known production areas include France, notably Bordeaux and the Loire Valley, New Zealand, Chile and California.
There's enough variety out there that should you one day need to find an everyday wine priced at $18 or more -- you win the lottery or there's oil under your property -- there's surely a sauvignon blanc tailored to your taste.
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FOOD FOR SAUVIGNON BLANC
Asparagus
Chicken, especially fried, poached, roasted or sauteed
Fish, especially white, poached, sauteed, lightly grilled and/or with meuniere
Garlic
Herbs, herbal dishes and sauces
Oysters, especially raw
Peppers
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Pork, especially grilled
Salads
Seafood, especially poached, sauteed or lightly grilled
Vegetables and vegetarian dishes, especially green and/or grilled
Tomatoes, especially raw
Avoid salty foods and seafood dishes with New Zealand sauvignon blanc.
Source: "What to Drink With What You Eat" by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page
MARKET BASKET OF FLAVORS
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In a blind tasting, we sampled sauvignon blancs from California's Napa Valley. All were the 2009 vintage, and range from $16 to $37.
Cornerstone Cellars
The nose is spicy with a dash of cinnamon, the flavor offers notes of vanilla, mango and coconut countered with touches of white pepper and green apple. Very creamy mouth feel. Serve with roasted chicken, chicken and walnut salad. $25
Ehlers Estate
From Napa's St. Helena wine region, a white with a tart, lemony sass plushed with a little baked pineapple and apricots. The aroma offers notes of lime, grass and lemon; brilliant clear pale gold color. Serve with pasta Alfredo, cucumber salad, tuna casserole. $28
Raymond Reserve Selection
Austere, almost French-like in profile, this sauvignon blanc is quite minerally with a finish that offers a green apple snap. Light, refreshing. Serve with a tomato tart, spinach quiche, veal piccata. $16
St. Supery Dollarhide Estate
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Pungent aroma startles but the big flavor -- ripe with grapefruit, pineapple and zingy acids -- pleases. Serve with turkey tetrazzini, halibut with salsa verde, seared scallops. $37
Groth
Beyond the lovely incenselike fragrance, this white sports a subtle, dry flavor that evokes thoughts of ripe pears, white pepper and green apples. Contrast with rich foods like crab-stuffed sole, cheese ravioli, macaroni and cheese. $19
St. Clement
One taster raved about this wine's tart, green flavor and grapefruit nose, another lauded its balance and touches of apple and pears. Naysayers thought the wine thin, almost too polite. Serve with herb-rubbed baked chicken, Swiss cheese fondue, pommes Anna. $16
J. Lohr Carol's Vineyard
Another sauvignon blanc with a subtle, Gallic profile. Herbal, tart (too tart, some complained), with touches of pineapple and lychee. Serve with shrimp scampi, olives, butter-poached lobster. $24
Trinchero Mary's Vineyard
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From Napa's Calistoga region, a white with a mineral-laden nose and flavor. Touches of grapefruit, pear. Serve with pan-fried fish, smoked fish pate, cheese crepes. $24
Charles Krug
A very herbal wine, smooth if a tad tart, with a pear and green apple nose that borders on being rather meaty. Serve with chicken and rice pilaf, chef's salad, pizza. $18
Duckhorn Decoy
The nose is bright, floral, somewhat tropical. The flavor can be spry (too spry for one taster, who likened it to "a lemon encased in a brick of chalk") with citrus flavors seasoned with pear and green apple notes. Serve with lobster bisque, grilled pork loin, grilled salmon. $18
You want that wine. But your store or area distributor may not carry it. State law may prohibit you from ordering a wine online. What to do? Ask your wine retailer for a wine similar in style and price. Remember prices may vary.
