Top Ten Sauvignon Blancs of 2015 this week. And in the remaining weekly columns in the run up to Christmas they’ll also be the Top Ten Shiraz of 2015, Top Ten Whites Over £6 as well as the Top Ten Reds Over £6 and for bargain hunters the Top Ten Reds and Whites Under £6. Sparkling and rosé wines haven’t been forgotten, neither has the whiskies – which get tested alongside the making of the Christmas cake. So lots to come, and lots of really good white wines made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape this year.
No one supermarket or High Street supplier dominates the Top Ten list – which is good news as hopefully you’ll be able to find something you like where ever you live in the country, and what ever your price range – recommended are wines from £3.99 up to £10.50.
So what can you expect from a Sauvignon Blanc? Gooseberry flavours and aromas will dominate if you’re buying any Sauvignon from New Zealand. Wines from France usually taste more subtle with apple and lemon being the main flavours, and moving down into sunnier southern Europe or Chile will mean some additional melon and peachiness.
Sauvignon Blanc is such a versatile white that not only does it match many foods (including Christmas canapés or roast turkey, plus stir fries and fish pies) but it’s is also a white that many people enjoy – so it makes a good choice in your festive line-up when you know you have folks coming over.
Well here they are in ascending order of price.
Top Ten Sauvignon Blancs of 2015
Andarra Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2013
£3.99 Aldi
With aromas of cheese and pineapple on sticks and flavours of creamy pineapple and grapefruit, this Sauvignon Blanc makes a good choice for everyday drinking and matching to nibbles and unpretentious nosh.
Wine Atlas French Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2014
£5.48 Asda
An excellent wine with flavours of gooseberry, pineapple, melon, pear and even sherbet dabs. Complex and enjoyable. Great value too.
Banrock Station Australian Sauvignon Blanc
£5.50 Sainsbury’s
A simple everyday Sauvignon with a bit of lemon, a bit of melon and a bit of gooseberry.
Asda Extra Special Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2014
£5.75 Asda
Zesty apple and fresh gooseberry flavours. Good luck.
La Casa Spanish Sauvignon Blanc 2013
£5.99 Co-op (down from £6.99 until November 24)
A good choice of white wine that would suit many people’s tastes with flavours of apple, banana and pineapple cut through with lemon.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Rambling River Fairtrade South African Sauvignon Blanc 2014
£8 Sainsbury’s (offer buy 2 for £12 until November 17)
Buttery pineapple, peach and melon. No gooseberry.
Berry Bros. & Rudd Good Ordinary White 2013
£8.85 BBR.com
This is a Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc bottled by the respected company Dourthe (you’ll find other Sauvignons bottled in their name) and part of Berry Bros. Own Selection range (reviewed here on 26 October). A quality wine with flavours of gooseberry and lemon and that flavour you get when you suck on a pebble.
Berry Bros. & Rudd Chilean Sauvignon Blanc 2014
£9.50 BBR.com
Light gooesberry and apple flavours. A nice mid-way Sauvignon Blanc bewteen the overblown gooseberryiness of New Zealand types and often too subtle apple flavours from France.
Château Reynon Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc 2013
£10.50 The Wine Society
Light gooseberry, lemon and lime flavours with a touch of sweetness.
Mission Estate New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2014
£10.50 Paul Adams Fine Wines, £13.50 Le Bon Vin
Lime, gooseberry, slightly floral – classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
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© Paula Goddard 2015 www.paulagoddard.com
