Sincerely Sancerre

Sauvignon Blanc - one or two exceptions aside; Chardonnay of course,  until recently footballer’s wives’ name of choice for their daughter, if not necessarily their wine of choice, except Chablis perhaps, but they may not know it’s made from Chardonnay. And Pinot Grigio, generic bland white wine world domination complete- is possibly the most recognizable white around around. Sauvignon Blanc that is. Particularly since the new world got involved, esp. New Zealand. NZ sauvignon is almost a brand in itself. It has done particularly well internationally: Chile, South Africa, California all have recognizable styles; big styles, sauvignon blanc is not the subtlest grape out there, think tropical fruits such as pineapple and mango with sharp acidity as well as the classic gooseberry notes. This is partly a selling point but one of the reasons I moved away from it; just wanted more restraint, however there are sauvignons out there that give you that. Sancerre, perhaps the most famous white wine out there after Chablis, is certainly the most famous sauvignon blanc and still the barometer of quality for winemakers, along with Pouilly Fumé.

Sancerre although a Loire valley wine is actually closer to Chablis and northern burgundy than Muscadet in the west. And the mineral rich soils that make Chablis famous influence the wine of Sancerre too. Truth is, I rarely buy Sancerre as it’s generally expensive, quality can vary and there are so many other interesting wines to try out there which are cheaper. However, if someone brings me one I’m perfectly happy to drink it as they did this weekend. A classic blend of fruits such as gooseberry and apple,  minerality and freshness is a the hallmark of a good sancerre, with enough hints of tropical fruit to complement the food we had, Mexican fish tacos. Normally a viognier or maybe a riesling would be more of a match for such a dish but sometimes a classy balanced wine can handle dishes for which isn’t naturally suited. Maybe it was slightly nostalgic, for a while my favourite white wines were the Loire Sauvignons: Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, Menetou Salon, Reuilly, all neighbours, the latter two less well known but recommended. Either way it was a pleasant reminder of a fairly low key (by Sancerre price standards) but excellent white wine. Excellent and fairly unique really in style. Available from Waitrose, by the way.

PS. Interesting fact for the cheese geeks among you, the sparse soils around Sancerre are hard to to farm but goats do very well and as a milk, cheese and meat source were traditionally a very useful ally to winemakers in their precarious business, hence the fact that Loire sauvignon blancs go so well with the local goats cheese such as Chavignol or Selles-sur–Cher. They’ve sort of grown up together.