SAUVIGNON Blanc is the second most popular white wine in the UK after Chardonnay.
And there are lots of budget-friendly delicious bottles in supermarkets.
Drinks expert Helena Nicklin takes on a purse-friendly international Sauvignon Blanc tasting tour and brings you her pick of the best bottles.
£6.50 M&S/Ocado
THIS cheap but very cheerful Aussie tipple shows what a bit of sun will do to the grape.
More round and weighty than some, it has full-on lemon and lime wine-gum flavours, with a punchy, tropical vibe.
A little rough around the edges, nevertheless this is still highly drinkable and you can’t complain at just £6.50 a bottle.
Serve it very chilled and sip with dishes such as seafood, chicken or salads. Lovely at lunchtime.
Score: 2/5
Aldi, £7.29
TOURAINE is the spot in France’s Loire Valley that makes cool-climate, green-leafy Sauvignons that are more subtle when you sip than their bolder Kiwi cousins.
It is rather like a baby Sancerre – for those who like it posh but want to budget – as it’s made just down the road from the pricier tipples.
If you want to try a few options, this Touraine tipple is a great one to compare to a Kiwi style.
You’ll have fun playing spot the difference with your Savvy B.
Score: 3/5
£6.79, Aldi
A VERY decent little Savvy B from New Zealand.
This has all the wildness you would expect from a Marlborough region style.
This is the wine-growing area on New Zealand’s South Island well known for producing this style, so you are in good hands with your glass.
Think grassy asparagus with a waft of tropical guava.
There’s certainly lots going on here for not a lot of cash.
A good party wine and well worth stocking up with.
Score: 4/5
£9.75, Asda
IF you are looking for a crisp, cool Kiwi Sauvignon with all the class and none of those strong, sour flavours some cheaper Sauvignon Blanc can have, then Yealands is your benchmark brand.
It has all the notes you love from New Zealand, such as subtle nettle, cut grass and citrus zest, wrapped up in a beautifully balanced package with a cool, mineral finish.
Always worth the extra pennies but a bottle is still under a tenner, which offers great value.
Score: 5/5
£8.75, Sainsbury’s
CHILEAN Sauvignon from the Americas tends to have a smokier grapefruit and yellow fruit vibe than other countries, and this one is a classic example of what is produced.
To slurp, it’s a bit rounder than a Kiwi style and even more savoury.
Nevertheless, it is still super-refreshing and has bags of personality.
This is a great one to enjoy paired with salads and goats’ cheese.
Or just enjoy a chilled glass by itself.
Score: 4/5
£9.50, Tesco
THE South African Amandla brand has been turning heads in the wine world thanks to its enigmatic, black female winemakers’ skills.
This Sauvignon Blanc really shows what the Greater Cape sunshine can do to the grapes.
Think full-bodied with a powerful flavour that combines the grassy zestiness of a Kiwi with the rounder, weightier grapefruit vibes of a Chilean.
A really delicious, full-on style. One to sip with friends or just enjoy at home.
Score: 4/5
Asda, £8
BAREFOOT-branded bottles are usually a bit of a guilty pleasure, as they are often unashamedly cheap and cheerful with quite a lot of very ripe fruit sweetness.
This Californian Sauvignon Blanc is exactly as described: Full-on and very fruity.
It’s not subtle nor complex but totally fine for a quick glass or two when you don’t want to think about it too much.
Handy to have, this makes a good standby bottle. Keep it in the fridge to take to a party or to mix up a spritzer.
Score: 2/5
£8.29, Lidl
THIS hails from Awatere, a smaller valley within New Zealand’s Marlborough wine-growing region.
Awatere Sauvignons are often more leafy, green peppery and grassy than the more zesty, lemony styles hailing from Marlborough.
But despite that they’re still super fresh and make great food wines – especially with grilled veg, which can be hard to pair.
Worth a try if you’ve never done so before.
This bottle from Lidl is well priced and a good example.
Score: 3/5
