Can anything stop the popularity of Sauvignon Blanc? Is Chardonnay making a comeback? Will Pinot Gris be the next big thing? Will Riesling's coming of age ever happen? Maybe we need to ask ourselves why are we searching for Sauv Blanc's next successor when we obviously love the crisp, dry and refreshing white varietal. Sauvignon Blanc is now Australia's highest selling white wine, ending Chardonnay's 20+ year rule. The major reasons for its astonishing rise to popularity are the wonderful aromatics and tropical fruit flavours it delivers, all for a price within reach of most. Sauvignon Blanc can trace its origins back to the Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions in France where it's name literally translates to "Wild White". Sauvignon Blanc (or Sauv Blanc) is also famous for parenting the noble grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, also from Bordeaux. The grape translates well into a diverse range flavoursome wines. In Bordeaux's maritime climate - more specifically the sub-regions of Graves and Pessac-Leognan - Sauvignon Blanc produces wines of ripeness and full fruit flavour.

While in the continental climate of the Loire Valley in western France, regions such as Pouilly-Fume and Sancerre make wines of purity, minerality and length. In the famed Sauternes region in south-west France, when blended with Semillon and aided by the Botrytis fungus, some of the worlds greatest sweet "dessert" style wines are produced, including the iconic Chateau d'Yquem. In the new world, it is the Marlborough region in New Zealand which holds court. Planted to vine in the 1970s, it wasn't until the mid 1990s that the world caught on to the famous tropical, citrus and passionfruit flavours. Cloudy Bay and Brancott Estate have been noted as the pioneers of the style and continue today to produce wines in the pure Marlborough style. While New Zealand continues to fly the Sauvignon Blanc flag, Australia cannot be overlooked for quality wines too. South Australia's Adelaide Hills wine region produces some of our most notable wines including the famous Shaw and Smith and Geoff Weaver.

The natural acidity prevalent in the wines aided by the long sun-drenched ripening period give rise to wines of finesse and purity, but with that powerful fruit driven punch. Over in the west, Margaret River is home to vast plantings of Sauvignon Blanc that blends beautifully with Semillon to produce WA's acclaimed �Classic Dry White' styles. Sauvignon Blanc's aromatic muscle intermingled with palate softness and complexity brought by Semillon is a true hallmark. Sauvignon Blanc's simplicity of flavours sometimes has purists struggling to find a good food partner, but you need to look no further than a plate of quality soft cheese and especially a Chevre. The lively acidity and tropical notes pair majestically.Whip-cracking acidity, tongue-tingling, citrusy-herby flavors, and pungent aromas give New Zealand sauvignon blancs a punchy, kick-boxing appeal.Immediately recognizable, reliable, predictable, and cheap, they’re tartly crisp wines you either love or hate, with grassy aromas some have likened to cat pee—not, I admit, the most appealing description.

One critic suggested that if you dislike New Zealand sauvignon blanc, it might be because you had to mow the lawn when you were a kid.But adventurous New Zealand winemakers are now lifting the category to a new dimension of quality, creating more serious (and more expensive) examples in a variety of styles. best wine to buy in londonIf you’re not a fan of the country’s sauvignon blancs, these are the wines to try. famous red wine in usaAnd if you love that in-your-face zing, don’t worry, these brilliant, alternative styles are still the ultimate anti-chardonnay. best price on wine coolerThey’re just richer, with layers of flavor and the ability to age.best deals on bulk wine

You might ask, why are winemakers bothering?After all, New Zealand sauvignon blanc has been one of the wine world’s truly stunning success stories. Grapes from the Marlborough region, which hugs the northeast corner of the South Island, were turned into an in-your-face style of wine that felt utterly different from French counterparts Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and white Bordeaux.In 2016, exports of the country’s wines to the U.S. were up 24 percent, yet another year of double-digit growth, according to the New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Report. best wine bar city of londonWe’re gulping those wines down as fast as they can ship them.the best fruit wine recipesAnd luckily, though an earthquake last November wrecked enough wine to fill about five million bottles, 2016 was a record year.world's best wine labels

Inevitably, there’s been a downside to success, as big corporations rushed to cash in and flooded the market with an ocean of $10 big-batch “sauvignon-plonk.” Too many are dull, formulaic, chirpy whites that are often indistinguishable from one another. The new wave wines aim for greatness. Marlborough, known for its cool, acid-enhancing maritime climate and long sunny growing season with no heat waves, remains the grape’s epicenter. top 100 wine 2010When I surveyed the vineyards from a helicopter a few years ago, green vines seemed to cover every square inch. best italian wine for giftThe top vintners started focusing on sub-regions. Awatare Valley, for example, produces dramatic wines with earthy, savory, mineral notes, while the Wairau Valley cuvées are more about grapefruity, passion fruit flavors.The brand Craggy Range looked to the cooler Martinborough region (known for pinot noir) just across Cook Strait from Marlborough, where wines are more structured and subtle.  

Others ventured to warmer Hawkes Bay and Waiheke Island to create sauvignon blanc-semillon blends like those in Bordeaux.The arrival of vintners from all over the world, such as Henri Bourgeois, who makes great Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, helped drive change. Many of the luxe versions, such as Dog Point Section 94, go for some amount of oak aging instead of the typical stainless steel, giving wines more texture and fullness and layers of flavor. Giesen is making eight cuvées, several from single vineyards.Sadly, many top wines are still in experimental mode and hard to find outside New Zealand. That’s reason enough to visit. As I zoomed from vineyard to vineyard on a motorcycle the first time I traveled to Waiheke Island, I started fantasizing about moving there. Today, wine tourism is booming as wineries add restaurants and experiences. Cloudy Bay now offers custom sailing trips on the Marlborough Sounds, with plenty of posh sauvignon blanc on board (starting at $2,000).Trading up is a global phenomenon, but will people pay $25 and more when they’ve been buying bottles for $10?

The higher-priced wines are a steal. If the cheapies are for knocking back at the end of the day, the more expensive ones, with greater concentration, are for serving in a glass, with food, on a yacht.2014 Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough ($25)Sancerre producer Henri Bourgeois makes this super-delicious white that combines concentrated citrus, nectarine, and herb notes with earthy, stony, chalky ones. 2015 Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard Martinborough ($25) A wine that has always gone better with food than drunk on its own, this wine from plots of vines growing on limestone soil is very stony and mineral, with a chalky texture.2014 Greywacke “Wild Sauvignon” Sauvignon Blanc ($25)The former winemaker at Cloudy Bay, Kevin Judd, started this winery in 2009. The name comes from the gray bedrock of sandstone and mudstone in the vineyards. This multi-layered bottling, more French in style, has smoky tropical fruit flavors.2012 Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Semillon Waipara Valley ($25)This is one of the best of New Zealand’s few Sauvignon/Semillon blends and resembles serious white Bordeaux.

Sophisticated and intense, it’s a wine to match with food. 2013 Dog Point Vineyard Section 94 Marlborough  ($30) The winery’s seductive flagship sauvignon, which has a cult following, comes from one vineyard block and is fermented and aged in barrel. It’s powerful and richly textured, and it ages brilliantly, as I learned when I tasted vintages going back to 2004.   2012 Man O’War Gravestone Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Waiheke Island ($30)Waiheke island, a 45-minute ferry ride from Auckland, is noted for cabernet, but this smoky, round, multidimensional wine shows how good the area is for whites, too. The name Gravestone comes from the basalt boulders surrounding the vineyards.2012 Giesen the August 1888 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough ($30)Flinty aromas and rich grapefruit and dried herbs mark the flavor of this powerful, complex white, one of eight the winery makes. The first vintage of this one, aged in oak, was 2009. 2013 Astrolabe Taihoa Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough ($30 - $35) Just so you know, an astrolabe is an ancient instrument of navigation.