Sauvignon Blanc (Breede River Valley, Western Cape, South Africa)

About 80 miles mostly to the east and slightly to the north of Cape Town, we find the Breede River Valley of South Africa. We're mostly at low elevation here, although in the eastern side of the valley, it does get up to more than 300 meters / 1000 feet. There are a few constants in the Breede River Valley: the summers are dry, the winters quite rainy, and the summers are hot. Even in the cooler parts of the valley daytime highs often exceed 30C/86F while the waemer parts to the west side of the river and sheltered by mountains on all sides frequentyly cross over 40C/104F. This is quite different from yesterday's visit.

These very different conditions produce a very different type of Sauvignon Blanc. Frankly, people love them or hate them.

To test this hypothesis, I chose one of the better known local Sauvignon Blancs and looked at all the reviews I could find. I found everything from "one of the finest Sauvignon Blancs you will find anywhere at this price point" to "this wine is barely drinkable" and those were from professional critics reviewing the same vintage as each other. What we find consistently in all the tasting notes on this particular wine is that it is vegetal. Many note peas and asparagus. But, this wine is grown at the highest elevation on the far east side of Breede River Valley.

In the weat, however, where it is considerably warmer during growing season, I similarly tested that hypothesis. What I found there were more consistent reviews. Loads of tropical fruit, tangy or aracy acidity, and a complete lack of greenness. Critics rated this wine fairly consistently in the 87-90 point range while typical consumers said it was very refreshing.

This dichotomy creates a problem for the consumer. If you or I go to the store and pick out a Sauvignon Blanc from Breede River Valley, we likely won't know the winery. We also likely won't know where in the valley it is. So, we won't know if it's a tropical paradise, or a very green, herbaceous wine.

What's the answer? Ask? At least in the US, you will be hard-pressed to find a wine shop employee who can tell you unless they have tasted the wine. 

For the bold and adventurous, try a few. If you find one you like, buy more. If you find one you hate, stop buying it.

In either case, pair these wines with seafood and soft cheese. In the case of the more vegetal wines, pair them with salads particularly with asparagus and arugula. In the case of the more tropical ones, add a tropical fruit salsa to your dinnertime fish.

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