Discover Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp, fresh, and underrated white wine. Learn its history and get expert tips for picking up your next bottle!

Wine is sunlight, held together by water.

– Galileo Galilei

When thinking about Chilean wine, what comes to mind? A luscious, smooth, and well-balanced Cab? A great bang for your buck, unique, Carménère? Likely a red, right? I get it, they’re more popular than whites worldwide. In my opinion, however, we should shift gears and look at Sauvignon Blanc instead.

From France to Chile: Short and Sweet History of Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine grape possibly originating in the Loire Valley, north-central France, though another theory places its origin in Bordeaux. What’s undisputed is that the earliest records mention it in the 1530’s, even if it was certainly around before that. We currently think it evolved from Savagnin [i]and several wild grape varieties. Which is fitting, as Sauvignon derives from sauvage—savage, or wild. It’s in the name!

I’m going with the theory that Sauvignon Blanc comes from the Loire valley. And since Old World labels often specify the region rather than the grape variety, in this region you’ll find it as Pouilly-Fumé[ii] or Sancerre.

From Loire it likely spread to Bordeaux and other places in France and Europe, eventually making its way to the Americas. Here’s something I wrote about how French vines came to Chile and other New World regions.

Sauvignon Blanc was first introduced in farms near Santiago. Well… some of those grapes were Sauvignon Blanc.

See, most of the Sauvignon Blanc that arrived in Chile wasn’t that varietal. In the 1990’s it was discovered that most plants were, in fact, Sauvignon Vert[iii]. Similar sounding but not related. Does this ring any bells? Likewise, Carménère got confused with Merlot until—you guessed it—the 1990’s. But, unlike Carménère, which was embraced, Chile ditched Sauvignon Vert and replanted with Sauvignon Blanc, perhaps hoping to follow Now Zealand’s lead in turning it into a success story[iv].

How to Pick a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. Easy-Peasy!

Early on, when Sauvignon Blanc was one of the new kids on the block (insert joke about it being a fresh crowd pleaser; in a few days, you’ll remember you drank one, just not which one), didn’t get any help from the regions they planted it in.

The best valleys for growing it are also new in the Chilean scene. The Limarí valley, in the north, was better known for making Pisco—an unaged grape brandy—until winemakers started experimenting with wines in the areas closest to the ocean. And in the Central Valley, you have Casablanca and San Antonio. The latter is smaller but has become famous thanks to its sub-region, Leyda. Both Casablanca and San Antonio are coastal regions, and they only started planting vines in the 1980’s.

I’ve mentioned a few of the Chilean wine regions to be in the lookout for when picking a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. Stick to those if you want to play it safe, but don’t shy away if something from a different region catches your eye. Chile’s all about the coast and mountains, so finding coastal or high-altitude vineyards isn’t hard.

Vintage matters too. Of course, some harvest years are better than others, but more importantly, Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t improve with age[v]. You’re better off buying younger wines—no more than a couple of years old. It’s not a wine to keep in storage. Instead, pick it, chill it, and drink it!

So, What Should You Expect When You Uncork[vi] It?

Sauvignon Blanc is a very aromatic wine. In Chile you should expect citrus, white or yellow stone fruit, and passion fruit. Some also have a hint of green bell pepper, so don’t be surprised if you think it smells like green chiles. Coastal regions add a touch of salinity or minerality. It’s fresh, high in acidity, and basically screams summer by the pool, or jumping in the ocean on a hot beach day. It pairs beautifully with grilled fish, vegetables, and cheeses made with sheep or goat milk. Also try it with shellfish—moules frites[vii], anyone?

It’s the perfect drink for cooling off on a hot afternoon while sharing laughs with friends. Don’t be afraid to drink it very cold! You should be able to pick good quality bottles for between 20 and 25 dollars, but you can also score good, fresh, acidic wines from around 15 bucks.

The Last Drop

Sauvignon Blanc is a global star, being the third most planted white wine varietal in the world, after Chardonnay and Airén, which is used more for distilling brandy than for wine. So, what do you think? Have you tried Sauvignon Blanc from Chile? Let me know in the comments! It’s one of my go-tos. When spring rolls around and patio season kicks off, I stock up on white wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc from Casablanca. These wines could easily rival New Zealand’s offerings, and I believe Chile should step up their game in promoting it internationally. Have you tried Sauvignon Blanc from Chile? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

For the longest time I also thought of quality reds at reasonable price points whenever I thought of Chilean wines, and I preferred bigger, bolder reds. But it was a Sauvignon that stole my heart in the end. Who would’ve thought?

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Footnotes

[i] A varietal popular In the Jura region, and a close descendant of Traminer, a grape from South Tyrol in northern Italy with a history dating at least 1000 years.

[ii] You might be familiar with Napa Valley’s Fumé Blanc, a fantasy name inspired by the region of Pouilly-Fumé. It is, of course, Sauvignon Blanc, except the grape name is not on the label. Don’t confuse it with a unique varietal.

[iii] You have probably not Heard of Sauvignon Vert, but what about Tocai Friulano? A grape native to the Friuli region near Venice, in Italy. Though the grape is—still—called Tacai Friulano, wines produced with it can’t use the name “Tocai” in the label, so you will find them simply as Friulano.

[iv] Sauvignon Blanc first got planted in the valley of Marlborough in the 1970s. Wines produced there found quick success and are still popular worldwide. Tim McKirdy wrote about it in Wine Pair in 2019. A good read, if you’re still thirsty for information.

[v] In France, you will find it aged, but to do so they blend it with another white grape called Semillon, which helps.

[vi] Since Sauvignon Blanc is a wine meant to be drank young, unscrewing might be the proper term.

[vii] A mussels stew, typically cooked in white wine with veggies and herbs, served with French fries, and often considered the national dish of Belgium.

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Cover Image: White wine grapes on the vine. Photo by Nany Casteleira.