Sauvignon Blanc
by Jennifer Oakes
I landed my first restaurant management job as a teenager, and the small chain’s management conference took place at a historic winery in Napa where the waitstaff simply assumed I was of drinking age. At our sumptuous catered lunch in the lush summer vineyard, I was trying to act the proper, knowing adult when we were poured glasses of “Fumé Blanc,” the name coined to differentiate California’s generally oak-tinged effort at Sauvignon Blanc. I practically spun out of my seat, excitedly badgering a colleague to explain this glorious nectar, the first non–Boone’s Farm wine I’d ever tasted. My palate has matured considerably since then, but thankfully I can still be surprised by Sauvignon Blanc.
Grown in all four corners of the earth, it comes in as many styles and flavor profiles as the soils and vintners’ creativity can supply. From the precipitously steep limestone slopes of Italy’s Alto Adige to the pastoral green Loire Valley, these acid-driven, obligingly food-friendly and fruit-forward whites can be your table’s best companion. What other grape has the versatility to pair with raw oysters, fish tacos, ripe and creamy chèvre, or Thai basil fried rice with equal aplomb? Want something stony, smoky, and shatteringly crisp? Check. How about silky, honeyed, and chock-full of sweet/tart fruit? You got it. You know, I believe we might have a perfect Sauvignon Blanc for every occasion.
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