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Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most well known, popular, and distinctive varieties. Its base in the Old World is still strong, producing the famous wines of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume in the Loire Valley as well as much of southwest France, including Bordeaux where it is thought to have originated as a result of a spontaneous field crossing of Cabernet Sauvignon. Within the appellations of Graves and Entre-Deux-Mers, it makes fine dry whites, blended with Semillon, Muscadelle and Ugni Blanc. However its importance is not to be overlooked in neighboring Sauternes helping form some of the world's most sought after dessert wines. On the other side of the world New Zealand's association with the grape has become so strong the two are almost synonymous. On the whole they tend to be bolder with more pungent exotic aromas that their European counterparts. It is also cultivated to a large extent in South Africa, Chile, Australia, and California. Initially coined and marketed by Robert Mondavi as Fume Blanc, the Californian versions were aged in a little oak in order to tame the grassy quality, although now Fume Blancs may refer to unoaked Sauvignon too. Common tasting notes include, grass, gooseberries, lemon, and grapefruit from cooler regions. Riper, sweeter fruit notes such as melons, figs and pears are found in warmer climate renditions. Careful oak ageing can develop more weight and complexity, sometimes displaying tropical mandarin and stone fruit.
Country: Australia
As the sixth largest producer and fourth largest exporter Australia is now one of the world's most important wine producing countries. Because vinifera vines are not native to Australia, most of the vines are descendants from cuttings imported by early European immigrants. Wineries started producing on a commercial scale in the first half of the 19th century, and since then the industry has experienced some of the biggest evolutionary developments. Originally focusing on replicating the fortified wines of the Old World including Port and Sherry, winemakers also developed their own idiosyncratic styles such as the fortified Muscats and Tokays of north east Victoria, not to mention the more recent, dry Semillons from the Hunter Valley region. The majority of the countries nearly 2000 wineries are relatively new (since 1970) boutique-sized operations, however about 95% of annual production is controlled by the five large companies including; Casella (Yellow Tail), Pernod Richard (Jacob's Creek), and Foster's (Lindemans and Penfolds).For high quality Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, look no further than the regions of Coonawarra, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Barossa and Clare Valley. In Western Australia, the Margaret River leads in producing Bordeaux style reds as well as elegant barrel-aged Pinots and Chardonnays.
Region: South Australia
Accounting for nearly half of the country’s production, South Australia is one of the most important wine producing regions and consequently reflects the majority of our selection of Australian wine. Production is focused in the south eastern corner around Adelaide where the sub-regions Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, and Clare Valley are located. Further south in the state is the Limestone Coast Zone where the cooler sub-regions of Padthaway and Coonawarra produce some of the country’s finest Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sub-Region: Clare Valley
Type: White
White wine is a wine whose color can be pale-yellow, yellow-green, and yellow-gold colored. The wine is produced from a variety of grape varieties. The flavor and color comes from the juice of the grape and sometimes the skin of the grape as well. Interestingly, not all white wine comes from white grapes. Some select red grapes are used as in Champagne.