Sauvignon Blanc: A Good Choice with Thai Food

Matching Thai food with wine is not always easy. The intense spicing and variety of different dishes served at a typical Thai meal make the process difficult. Although the wine you choose is ultimately up to you and your taste buds, I have found that bold and brassy white wines with a high level of acidity are often a good choice.

by Michael Moore

Thai food frequently overpowers the subtle nuances in complex red wines like a Cabernet Sauvignon and often renders an expensive Chardonnay almost tasteless. But some of the assertive white wines, like some manifestations of Sauvignon Blanc, retain their character and act as a foil for the spicy flavors found in Thai food.

Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape and appears to have its roots in the Bordeaux region of France. Interestingly, DNA research at the University of California at Davis has shown that it and Cabernet Franc are the ‘parents’ of Cabernet Sauvignon. Today Sauvignon Blanc is grown in major wine producing areas throughout the world, including New Zealand, Australia, California, Chile, South Africa, and Italy. The grape is tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions and does well in areas too warm for some grape varieties. Although invariably high in acid, the wine made from Sauvignon Blanc differs significantly from one region to another and can arrive at the table with flavors of apples, cut grass, melons, figs, or in some instances, cooked asparagus. When it possesses the latter taste, it is often unkindly described as tasting like ‘cat’s piss’. The wide latitude of tastes possessed by Sauvignon Blanc makes it is possible to be enamored with one Sauvignon Blanc and to be put off by the taste of another.

In France it is grown in Bordeaux, the Loire Valley and increasingly Languedoc-Roussillon in the South. In Bordeaux it is blended with Semillon, while in the Loire Valley Sancerre and Pouilly‑Fumé are made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The Bordeaux permutations are aged in oak due to the addition of Semillon, a practice not frequently followed when the wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. The best of these wines are elegant, long lasting and expensive. Loire Valley wines are crisp and tart and possessed with a taste that is often described as ‘flinty’. By the way if you want to try a Pouilly-Fumé be sure you don’t buy a Pouilly-Fuisse – it’s a Chardonnay!

Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand is currently the rage with international wine drinkers. The grape wasn’t even planted in New Zealand until 1973 and didn’t start appearing in the bottle until 1980. But within five years, the world had taken notice and New Zealand was suddenly on the map as a wine growing country. These are fruit driven wines that are cool fermented in stainless steel and then quickly bottled. They are noted for their crisp intensity, tropical fruit flavors and easy to drink character.

In California, Sauvignon Blanc was formerly called Fumé Blanc, a name coined by Robert Mondavi in the early 1970’s. Mondavi’s version was heavily oaked and hid the fruity characteristics of the grape. Although it originally had adherents, this style of Sauvignon Blanc has fallen out of favour and California wine makers are now scrambling to get on the New Zealand style bandwagon and usually call their wines according to the grape.

In Chile and South Africa wine makers have increased their plantings of Sauvignon Blanc because of the success of New Zealand wine makers. There are some excellent wines available from these two countries and most of them are considerably cheaper than wine from New Zealand.

Sauvignon Blanc is susceptible to ‘noble rot’, a condition brought about by infestation from Botrytis cinerea, a fungus associated with grapes. The fungus requires moist conditions to develop, but if the weather later turns dry, the grapes will become botrytised and develop qualities similar to a raisin. The grapes afflicted with noble rot are used to produce sweet wines in many parts of the world, most notably Sauternes from the Graves area of Bordeaux. Made with a mix of botrytised Sauvignon, Blanc, Semillon and Muscadelle grapes, these wines are not only exquisite, but also astronomically expensive. The Sauternes from the estate Château d'Yquem are considered the finest available and invariably sell at prices that equal or exceed the prices charged for the world’s finest red wines.

Sauvignon Blanc is a grape that can wear many hats and that produces a remarkable variety of wines. They include botrytised dessert wines; delightful blends with Semillon from Bordeaux; mildly intense wines with herbal overtones, and, of course, the rambunctious and fruity New World style wines characterized by those from New Zealand that often go well with Thai food. If you have never tried Sauvignon Blanc, it is worth adding to your repertoire. No matter what style of wine you prefer, you are bound to find a Sauvignon Blanc that will make you happy.