1.

SAUVIGNON BLANC

Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine that owes much of its popularity to

winemakers in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley in France. The Sauvignon Blanc
taste is very different from other white wines, like Chardonnay, because of its
green and herbaceous flavors.

The name Sauvignon Blanc means “Wild White”. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the
most widely planted wine grapes in the world and because of this it has a wide
range of styles and flavors.

Sauvignon Blanc Taste

The primary fruit flavors of Sauvignon Blanc are lime, green apple, passion fruit
and white peach. Depending on how ripe the grapes are when the wine is made,
the flavor will range from zesty lime to flowery peach. What makes Sauvignon
Blanc unique from other white wines are its other herbaceous flavors like bell
pepper, jalapeño, gooseberry and grass. These flavors come from aromatic
compounds called pyrazines and are the secret to Sauvignon Blanc’s taste.

Styles

Loire Valley – No oak, 100% SB, grass, Gooseberry, lemon and grass aromas.

“The bold green flavor found in these Loire Valley Wines, and in similarly styled
SB’s from other parts of the world is attributable to high concentration of
“methoxypyrozines” a chemical component found in the grape in greater
concentrations in cooler climates. Managing these pirazines is important as too
much can be offensive.

Graves

Sauvignon Blanc wines from Bordeaux’s Graves and Entre Deux Meres are
generally blended with Semillon and Muscadelle and may see some oak aging.
The flavors here lean towards the more earthy, sweet citrus, green and yellow
apple, some green lemon and of the wine is oaked may be accompanied by a
richer rounder texture.
New Zealand

In Marlborough, it comes off pungent with gooseberry, green olive, guava,

passion fruit, and in ripe vintages nectarine and peach.

WINEMAKING AND THE VINEYARD

Sauvignon Blanc can be greatly influenced by decisions in the winemaking

process. One decision is the amount of contact that the must has with the skins
of the grape. In the early years of the New Zealand wine industry, there were no
wineries on the South Island which meant that freshly harvested grapes had to be
trucked and then ferried to the North Island, often all the way up to Auckland.

This allowed for prolonged exposure of the skins and juice, which sharpened the
intensity, and pungency of the wine. Some winemakers, like the Loire,
intentionally leave a small amount of must to spend some time in contact with
the skin for later blending purposes. Other winemakers, like in California,
generally avoid any contact with the skin due to the reduced aging ability of the
resulting wine.

Winemakers sometimes harvest the grapes at various intervals for the different
blending characteristics that the grape can impart depending on its ripeness
levels.

2. TORRONTÉS

AROMAS

Torrontés is an aromatic white wine that originated in Argentina. Torrontés is an

ideal wine to match with Asian and Indian cuisine due to its sweet floral aromas
of rose petals and flavors of white peach and lemon zest. The wine smells
sweet, but is usually made in a dry style and the best Torrontés wines come
from the high elevation vineyards in Salta, Argentina.

Torrontés is similar to other aromatic white wines including Riesling and Muscat
Blanc (Moscato). The major difference between Torrontés and these
aforementioned white wines is that Torrontés is commonly made in a dry style.
This makes it a very interesting wine to enjoy because its salty lean taste is in
opposition to its sweet perfumed aromas.
Recent research using DNA profiling has shown that the different Torrontés are
genetically closely related but distinct grape varieties, and that Torrontés
Riojano, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torontel (also known as Moscatel
Amarillo) are all separate crossings of Mission (originally reported as Criolla
Chica) and Muscat of Alexandria.

Torrontés Mendocino was found to probably be a crossing of Muscat of

Alexandria and another, so far unidentified grape variety.

While the Muscat-like qualities of the Torrontés varieties meant that a

relationship to Muscat of Alexandria had been expected; the presence of
Mission or Criolla Chica in the pedigree was unexpected to the researchers.

For many years it was believed that the Torrontés of South America was the
same variety as the Torrontés grape from Galicia in Spain, also known as Albillo
Mayor. This widespread belief was due, in part, to the frequent migration waves
of Galician workers that have immigrated to Argentina throughout its history.
Indeed, even wine expert Jancis Robinson, noted as much in her 1986 book
on the world's grape varieties. However, recent DNA evidence shows that
there is probably no direct relationship between the Argentine and Spanish
Torrontés varieties and more recent editions of Robinson's wine books
acknowledge the new findings.

3. CHARDONNAY

Chardonnay is the world’s most diverse and most planted white wine grape.
The variety is very adaptable to different climates and can grow in hot and sunny
regions as well as cool areas and because of this, you can find many different
styles.
However, its very adaptability, the fact that this grape can be grown and vinified
almost anywhere has brought with it s certain amount of Chardonnay weariness
and given rise to the original ABC slogan “Anything But Chardonnay”, please!
They say Chardonnay has no pronounced characteristics of its own, and this
lack of personality makes it very malleable to all manner of winemaking
techniques.

Chardonnay was born in the Burgundy region of France, where it is known as

White Burgundy, and it was there that the wine gained great acclaim for its
elegance. The aromas and flavours of Chardonnay range from rich and buttery to
lean crispy, mineral and super zesty.
How can a single grape offer such a variety of flavors? Well, in addition to the
difference in winemaking (oak vs. no oak), ripeness has a lot to do with flavor
as well as the region where you grow it.

Climate

Winemakers discovered that warm climates would produce a Chardonnay grape

that was ripe and full of tropical flavors such tangerine, peach, pineapple and
passion fruit while in cooler climates the grape had flavors of apple, white peach,
melon as well as earthy fall aromas such as mushrooms and the smell of fallen
leaves.

Oak

Oaked Chardonnays are rich, full-bodied and have additional flavors of vanilla,
butter and even caramel from the oak. A cool climate, buttery Chardonnay will
have more citrus flavors versus a warm climate Chardonnay, which will have
more tropical fruit flavors.

Famous oak aged Chardonnay’s come from Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune.

You also find them in the New World in California, Washington State Australia
and South Africa.

No Oak

Un-oaked Chardonnay is far closer to the zesty style of Pinot Gris or Sauvignon
Blanc. Chardonnay wine tends to have less ‘green flavors’ than Sauvignon
Blanc. Depending on how ripe the grapes were when picked, the flavor ranges
from lemon and green apple (less ripe) to pineapple and figs (very ripe).

Un-oaked Chardonnay is made increasingly widely in France, In Chablis, which

is put through malolactic fermentation but no oak.
 4. SEMILLON

Sémillon wine is loved for its full body, like Chardonnay, but with flavors closer to
Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc. It’s an important blending component in White
Bordeaux and is also planted throughout Australia.

Semillon has two uncontested centres of excellence on opposites side of the

globe. Light, lean, un-oaked and bone dry at one extreme in the Lower Hunter
Valley, 60 miles north of Sydney. Australia and at the other extreme, weighty,
luscious barrel fermented and intensely sweet from Sauternes, 20kk from
Bordeaux.

Sémillon Wine Characteristics

Cool Climate/Less Ripe: grass/asparagus, green pea, gooseberry, nettles,

lemon Warm Climate/Ripe: Apple, Grapefruit, Nectarine, Guava, Lanolin, Wax

Styles:

Un-oaked, light, dry/lean

Oaked, Dry full rich

Oaked, Very Sweet, and dry with

botrytis. Vineyard

One of the most prominent varieties in France, Semillon was once amongst the
most widely planted grapes in all Bordeaux and with good reason. It’s a vigorous
vine that is resistant to most diseases expect for rot and is easy to cultivate.
The grape ripens early, when, in warmer climates, it acquires a pinkish hue.
Since the grape has a thin skin, there is also a risk of sunburn in hotter climates;
it is best suited to areas with sunny days and cool nights.
The Sémillon grape is rather heavy, with low acidity and an almost oily texture. It
has a high yield and wines based on it can age a long time. Along with
Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle, Sémillon is one of only three approved white
wine varieties in the Bordeaux region. The grape is also key to the production of
sweet wines such as Sauternes.

5. VIOGNER

Viogner is a rare grape even in its native home in Northern Rhone. The
famous AOC are Condrieu and Chateau Grillet.

Viogner is a royal pain to make; it doesn’t set a reliable or

predictable crop. It has low and unpredictable yields and should be picked
only when fully ripe. When picked too early, the grape fails to develop the full
extent of its aromas and tastes. When picked too late, the grape produces wine
that is oily and lacks perfume. It takes a long time to ripen making it susceptible
to deers and birds consuming the harvest.

So why make Viogner? Its flavors are unique, it is very aromatic and has the
round body and mouth-feel people adore in Chardonnay and the great acidity of
a SB

The grape prefers warmer environments and a long growing season, but can
grow in cooler areas as well.

Winemaking – The single most critical facto is ripeness; the aroma of ripe
Viogner is sweetly perfumed and intoxicating.

Aromas –

FLORAL – Citrus blossom, violet, honeysuckle, cardamom

FRUIT – Lemon, lime, pear skin, peach, nectarine, apricot, tangerine, blood
orange