Napa Ridge Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon Blanc

The Sensible Alternative
to Chardonnay

Most of us are used to Chardonnay as the white wine of choice. This seems to be true whether you are in a restaurant or attending a social gathering.

It's the other way around in France. We were in the city of Paris for two weeks, dining daily in Brasseries, Cafés, and Restaurants. Only once during that time were we even offered a Chardonnay. It's almost as if there is no such wine when you look at the menus. The French much prefer Sauvignon Blanc, especially for the "house" wines, without which no restaurant will survive. Often these wines are from the Loire.

At any rate, it is hard to miss the point - as an apéritif, and especially when matched with food, Chardonnay is not worth considering. While we may want to take issue with this, there is a lesson here. The Sauvignon Blanc wines are more "honest", which is to say they are not tampered with as much as the Chardonnays. We hear horror stories about California wine makers dipping bags of oak chips into their vats to simulate aging in oak barrels. Sauvignon Blanc is presented in a more straightforward manner.,

You may have noticed a tendency in these columns to save a buck here and there. Well, here is a golden opportunity - Sauvignon Blanc can be a lot cheaper than the trendy Chardonnay. The interesting thing is that you are not giving up anything. The Sauvignon Blanc grape is a much easier match for most foods.

The French Vin de Pays are especially fine examples of light, fruity Sauvignon Blancs. The B & G Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France is outstanding. For down to earth daily white wine, there are several suitable and inexpensive labels for plain old Sauvignon Blanc - become familiar with them, and you will use them often.

On a negative note, there is an occasional problem with a characteristic taste and odor that can only be described as "Cat Pee". This is usually evident in the more pretentious labels, and is not as much a problem as it used to be. It often disappears after the wine is exposed to air for a bit. If you detect this quality, just switch brands.

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