Attributes:

Sauvion

Vouvray, France

Vouvray

750 ML

Food Matches:

Few white wines age as well as the still dry and sweet wines that are made from the Chenin Blanc grape in this part of the Loire Valley. Fine examples of either style should be complex, full of floral and nutty flavors. Vouvray comes in three styles: dry (sec), medium-dry (demi-sec) or sweet (called moelleux, as well as a sparkling version. The sweet wines are made with only the ripest grapes, and they need years to develop.

Vouvray is a cool climate region with limestone and chalk soil located on the north shore of the Loire River. Wine production in Vouvray has been recorded as early as the fifth century when Saint Martin of Tours introduced the Chenin Blanc grape to the region. By Law a Vouvray wine must be made of 100 percent Chenin Blanc and can be found ranging from sec (dry) to fully sweet (Moelleux) or sparkling. A typical Vouvray exhibits quince, honey, or almond flavors.

Attributes:

Amisfield

Australia/New Zealand

Sauvignon Blanc

750 ML

2006: WineSpectator Rating: 84

tart

2005: WineSpectator Rating: 87

bright, tangy

pineapple

2004: WineSpectator Rating: 86

crisp

lean

2004: WineEnthusiast Rating: 91

vegetal

2003: WineSpectator Rating: 86

lively

floral

Food Matches:

Comes mostly from California, France, New Zealand, and South Africa. Its highly acidic wines are often suggestive of herbs or grass. Light to medium bodied and usually dry, European versions are generally not oaky while California Sauvignon Blanc can take on many of the qualities of Chardonnay. France has two classic wine regions for the Sauvignon Blanc gape: Bordeaux and the Loire Valley The Bordeaux wine is called Bordeaux Blanc and the two best known of the Loire wines are called Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. In Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc is sometimes blended with Sémillon.

Besides producing Mel Gibson, this region can also produce some pretty intense wine. Australia has become the fourth largest wine export in the world. Australian labels are strictly labeled depending where the grapes where grown to make the wine. In New Zealand the sea moderates the weather producing cooler summers and milder winters. The effect of consistently cool nights is to produce fruit which is nearly always high in acidity.

Attributes:

Domaine Jacques Guindon

Muscadet, France

Muscadet

750 ML

Food Matches:

(moos cah day)—The famous white wine of this frost-prone region of the Loire Valley is bottled “sur lie,” while still in contact with its sediment. This keeps the wine fresh and gives it a slight spritz and yeasty roundness. Light, often lemony, and very dry, it goes well with oysters.