Sancerre

Sancerre is a dry, crisp white from the Loire Valley in France, made from Sauvignon Blanc. Expect lemon, grapefruit and green apple with fresh herbs and a distinctive mineral edge. Elegant, zesty and seriously refreshing, it’s brilliant with goat’s cheese, oysters, prawns, grilled fish, sushi, salads and asparagus.

Taste:

Crisp, citrusy and effortlessly put together.

White Sancerre is typically dry and light to medium-bodied, with high acidity and flavours of lemon, lime, grapefruit and green apple. You may also find gooseberry, white flowers, fresh herbs and a stony or flinty mineral character.

Compared with the intensely tropical styles of Sauvignon Blanc made famous by New Zealand, Sancerre often feels more restrained, savoury and mineral.

Different vineyard soils can also bring noticeably different expressions, from fresh citrus and flowers to more textured, mineral-driven wines.

Same Sauvignon Blanc. Considerably more French about it.

Food Pairings:

Sancerre and goat’s cheese is one of wine’s classic pairings.

Try it with goat’s cheese salad, baked goat’s cheese, goat’s cheese tart or a cheese board featuring fresh, tangy goat’s cheese.

Seafood is equally safe territory. Pair Sancerre with oysters, prawns, mussels, crab, scallops, grilled fish, sea bass or cod. Sushi, sashimi and ceviche work beautifully too.

Its herbal character makes it brilliant with asparagus, green beans, grilled courgette, fresh salads and dishes featuring basil, parsley, dill or other fresh herbs.

For meat, try grilled chicken, lemon chicken, herb-roasted chicken or chicken salad.

Basically, if dinner involves seafood, goat’s cheese or something green, Sancerre has probably already RSVP’d.

Similar Wines:

If you enjoy Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé is an essential next stop for another famous Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc with plenty of citrus, herbs and mineral character.

Sauvignon Blanc lets you explore how dramatically the grape changes around the world, while Albariño offers similarly bright acidity with a salty, coastal edge.

Grüner Veltliner is another brilliant option if crisp citrus, herbs and food-friendly freshness are your thing.

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More About Sancerre:

Sancerre is an appellation in the eastern Loire Valley of France, centred around the hilltop town of the same name.

White Sancerre is made from Sauvignon Blanc and accounts for the vast majority of production. The region’s varied soils – including limestone, clay and flint-rich sites – help create different expressions of the grape.

The local cheese pairing is particularly famous: Crottin de Chavignol, a goat’s cheese produced around the nearby village of Chavignol, is about as classic a Sancerre match as you can get.

And although everyone tends to think white when they hear Sancerre, the appellation also produces red and rosé wines from Pinot Noir.

Sauvignon Blanc may be the celebrity, but apparently it brought friends.