Wine Challenge #1 - Sauvignon Blanc

[pmf2000]

As I have been making a lot of wine but have quite some time before I drink any of it, I thought I would spend time this year really learning about different wines and specifically what types I really enjoy. Each month I will be picking a different grape. Once the grape has been picked, I will be trying at least 6 different wine makers. The primary purpose is to identify the qualities of the grape itself and to determine what I may or may not like about that type of grape. Feel free to join in and let me know what you discover for yourself. If you like wine, this could be fun challenge! Ideally you try two different types of the same grape at the same time looking for similarities and differences.

For January, I chose Sauvignon Blanc. This is not something we typically drink but we had some for New Years and I quite enjoyed it. Since New Zealand is known for their SB, I thought I would start there. I will update this thread as I do my tastings.

PS - If you have made a Sauvignon Blanc, I'd love to hear from you. I'm trying to decide which kit to get.

My first two bottles are below.

 

[hobbyiswine]

Very cool thread! If you can find it my personal favorite Sav Blanc is from Craggy Range. It is from NZ and simply awesome. Sav blanc happens to be one of my favorites, most days my favorite white grape, and on some days my most favorite grape of all. Because of this i chose to make a winexpert sav blanc kit for my first wine. For a cheap kit it wasn't bad. I should make a high end sav blanc kit to see if it compares to the commercial but have not yet gotten around to it. Cheers!

 

[pmf2000]

Very cool thread! If you can find it my personal favorite Sav Blanc is from Craggy Range. It is from NZ and simply awesome. Sav blanc happens to be one of my favorites, most days my favorite white grape, and on some days my most favorite grape of all. Because of this i chose to make a winexpert sav blanc kit for my first wine. For a cheap kit it wasn't bad. I should make a high end sav blanc kit to see if it compares to the commercial but have not yet gotten around to it. Cheers!

lol...a good friend from NZ just recommended Craggy Range as well. Consider it next on the list!

 

[ShelleyDickison]

My husband really liked the Oyster Bay SB. He wants me to find a kit that has the grapefruit taste but is on the slightly sweeter side. I asked the LHBS about one but they didn't have a clue. Guess I will just keep researching.

 

[JohnT]

Very cool thread! If you can find it my personal favorite Sav Blanc is from Craggy Range. It is from NZ and simply awesome. Sav blanc happens to be one of my favorites, most days my favorite white grape, and on some days my most favorite grape of all. Because of this i chose to make a winexpert sav blanc kit for my first wine. For a cheap kit it wasn't bad. I should make a high end sav blanc kit to see if it compares to the commercial but have not yet gotten around to it. Cheers!

YUP!!! The land "down under" is famous for their sav blancs. I would suggest Penfold's.

 

[ibglowin]

Kim Crawford is always an excellent choice for a NZ Sauv Blanc. Nobillo is another good one that can be had easily.

I have made 2 Sauv Blancs (kits). The MM Renaissance Aussie Sauv Blanc (2 out of 4 stars) as well as the RJS EP Aussie Sauv Blanc (3 out of 4 stars). The EP is still improving so it could easily go up to 3.5 stars in another 6 months or so. Time will tell.....

I also picked up one of the new WE Eclipse kits and it is supposedly a bonafide NZ Sauv Blanc (18L). Won't be starting that bad boy till this Spring more than likely but very high hopes for it.

 

[pmf2000]

I really would like to try the WE Eclipse Sauv Blanc but the kits are in the $180-$200/kit range. I normally top out at $130. Of course that excludes getting liquid yeast and/or other accessories.

 

[ibglowin]

Not true. One of our sponsors, Brew and Wine Supply has this kit in stock for $139 with $10 shipping. He also has great sales throughout the year.

 

[pmf2000]

I live in Canada

 

[ibglowin]

Normally that is a good thing when it comes to kit prices or so I thought!