Semillon vs Sauvignon Blanc

The OIV's 2017 Focus on the world's grapevine varieties calls Sauvignon a French white grape variety cultivated in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux region for centuries, and bordeaux.com says it is believed to have originated in Bordeaux. A 2020 WSET blog says the name is believed to come from the French word 'sauvage', meaning wild, because its leaves resemble wild grapevine leaves. The OIV lists Fumé Blanc and Blanc Fumé among its synonyms.

WSET's Level 2 session plans say Sauvignon Blanc grows best in cool and moderate climates, and its 2020 blog warns that if the climate is too warm the grapes ripen too quickly and the variety's herbaceous aromas do not develop. Wine Australia says it does best in cool but sunny regions, areas influenced by the cooling effects of ocean breezes or elevation.

bordeaux.com says Sauvignon blanc's small clusters and thick-skinned berries ripen early, completing a short vegetative cycle, and that the naturally vigorous vine must be carefully managed. The OIV's 2017 Focus instead gives it an average budburst period, early flowering and a long (late) maturity period, with low fertility, small clusters prone to coulure and yields of 5 to 10 tonnes per hectare. Wine Australia calls it a relatively early ripening variety whose tendency toward excess foliage makes canopy management critical.

bordeaux.com says Sauvignon blanc is sensitive to noble rot and can contribute to sweet wines; in Sauternes, it says, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris add a refreshing touch to the blends. The OIV's 2017 Focus says Sauvignon Blanc can also be used to produce high-quality dessert wines.

WSET's Level 2 session plans describe distinctive herbaceous aromas (green bell pepper, asparagus, grass) and primary fruit characters that vary with ripeness. bordeaux.com names citrus, boxwood and fig leaf as its aromatic markers, with exotic fruit in the background. The OIV's 2017 Focus credits the variety's success largely to the varietal aromas of thiol compounds (blackcurrant, exotic fruit, boxwood), and WSET's 2020 blog says the compound behind its green bell pepper flavour decreases dramatically when the grapes are exposed to sunlight.

WSET's Level 2 session plans say Sauvignon Blanc makes light- to medium-bodied wines with refreshing high acidity. bordeaux.com describes bright acidity, a delicate mineral edge and finesse on the palate, and Wine Australia calls Australian Sauvignon Blanc light to medium bodied with vibrant aromatic fruit and juicy acidity.

WSET's Level 2 session plans say Sauvignon Blanc is usually made as a single-varietal wine, though it is sometimes blended with Sémillon, and that Graves AOC and Pessac-Léognan AOC whites are typically blends of the two. bordeaux.com says Sauvignon blanc's natural tension adds lift and balance in dry whites, while Sémillon adds volume and texture. WSET's 2020 blog says top Bordeaux producers often blend in a small amount of Sémillon, and that Sancerre AOC and Pouilly-Fumé AOC are always 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

bordeaux.com's Sauvignon blanc page puts it at 44 percent of Bordeaux's white plantings (its grape-varieties page gives 45 percent), with a strong presence in the Graves, the Entre-deux-Mers and Sauternes. For dry whites, it says, the grape thrives on cool, well-watered soils that help intensify its aromatics.

Wine Australia says Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc is typically blended with Semillon, in styles ranging from light, crisp, lemony and herbal to fuller flavoured and more tropical with some barrel fermentation or ageing; its Regional Snapshot (published July 2026) gives Sauvignon Blanc 19 percent of the region's 2026 tonnes. The MRWA says the blend is often fermented in stainless steel and enjoyed fresh, lists gooseberry, passionfruit, lime and lemon curd as its descriptors, and says skin contact, oak during fermentation and foudres are driving complexity and ageability in a new generation of styles.

Wine Australia's Sauvignon Blanc Variety Snapshot (2026) gives 6,097 hectares planted (ABS 2015) and 107,719 tonnes crushed in 2026, 8.5 percent of the national crush, with the Riverland taking 25 percent and the Adelaide Hills 6 percent. Wine Australia says Sauvignon Blanc more than doubled in area from 2001 to 2010 and rose to be Australia's second largest white winegrape variety after Chardonnay in 2014, and it calls the Adelaide Hills the benchmark region for the grape in Australia.

WSET's Level 2 session plans say single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc is typically made in inert vessels, and that strong oak flavours can sometimes dull its pronounced aromatics. Wine Australia says the vast majority of Sauvignon Blanc is bottled shortly after fermentation, with some styles seeing a few months in oak, and that barrel fermented or aged styles tend to be richer and more full-bodied; bordeaux.com says barrel ageing reveals a deeper, more complex expression.

WSET's Level 2 session plans say single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc is usually best consumed young, and that even outstanding examples can lose their fresh aromas and quickly develop unattractive vegetal notes; the OIV's 2017 Focus says it is often made into dry whites that are consumed young. bordeaux.com, by contrast, says Sauvignon blanc has excellent ageing potential, and WSET says very good or outstanding Graves AOC and Pessac-Léognan AOC wines are often matured in oak and develop complex flavours of honey and nuts in the bottle.

Wine Australia suggests shellfish, fresh oysters, white fish dishes, chicken, pork, goat's cheese and salads.