Best Sauvignon Blanc from Australia

Sauvignon Blanc has been a remarkable success story in Australia, more than tripling in the area in ten years from 2001 to 2010 and rising to become the second-largest white wine grape variety after Chardonnay in 2014. Sauvignon Blanc wine is a chameleon in that its characteristics vary depending on where it is produced. It’s cultivated all around Australia, although the best examples come from colder areas. Expect a refreshing blast of fruit and flavor regardless of the style.

It is grown all throughout Australia, from the hottest ‘river’ areas to the temperate climes of the Adelaide Hills and Tasmania, and it thrives in the coastal climate of Margaret River, where it is frequently blended with Semillon. One out of every eight bottles of wine purchased in Australia’s domestic off-trade retail sector is Sauvignon Blanc.

Famous Sauvignon Blanc from Australia

1. Sidewood Sauvignon Blanc 2019

• Price: $17.99
• Region: Adelaide Hills, Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, Australia
• ABV: 12.5%
• Allergens: Contains sulfites.
• Appearance: The color of the wine is pale straw with green hues
• Aromas: Citrus and tropical fruits blend with the subtle, crisp flavors of pink grapefruit, gooseberry, passionfruit, and lime pith.
• Tasting Notes: With a delightful mid-palate roundness and a persistent, crisp line of mouth-watering acidity, and a lingering finish, this wine is well balanced.
• Pairs well with shellfish, game, and spicy Asian cuisine.

2. Shaw + Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2019

• Price: $18.99
• Region: Adelaide Hills, Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, Australia
• ABV: 12.5%
• Allergens: Contains sulfites.
• Appearance: Brilliant water-like color with a hint of green around the edges.
• Tasting Notes: Passionfruit, lime, and ripe gooseberries display excellent fruit concentration, with green apple and flowery grassy notes in the background. Crisp acidity with a lengthy, delectable finish.
• Aromas: Strong passionfruit, green apple, and ripe gooseberry leap from the glass, followed by lime and delicate flowery grassy notes.

3. Berton Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Metal) 2020

• Price: $20.99
• Region: Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia, Australia
• ABV: 12.4%
• Allergens: Contains sulfites.
• Pairs well with grilled fish dishes and Asian style salads
• Tasting Notes: The wine is dry and light-bodied. A rich depth of fruit flavor carries through to a zesty palate with tingling acidity and a long finish.
• Aromas: Gooseberry and green capsicum combine with underlying tropical notes to create a zesty palate with crisp snow pea, passionfruit, and sweet citrus flavors.

4. Lucy Margaux Vineyards – Domaine Lucy Sauvignon Blanc 2016

• Price: $35.99
• Region: Adelaide Hills, Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, Australia
• ABV: 13.5%
• Allergens: contains sulfites.
• Pairs well with cheddar and gruyere cheese
• Appearance: A bio wine from Australia, therefore a touch foggy in the glass and a little fizz on the mouth.
• Tasting Notes: Green apple, grapefruit, lime zest, and the subtle acidity of unripe apricot combine to create a well-rounded flavor.

Our Pick

5. 2019 Terre à Terre Crayères Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

About Terre à Terre

• In 2008, the inaugural Terre à Terre wine was a Sauvignon Blanc from the Crayères Vineyard. The first Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from the Crayères Vineyard in 2009, and the first Cabernet Franc and Shiraz were produced in 2014. 
• Since then, they’ve been honing their winemaking and blending techniques using Crayères Vineyard fruit, resulting in the current line of white and red wines.
• They maintain the Crayères Vineyard individually and save all of the fruit for their own wines each year. The densely planted Crayères Vineyard is cane pruned (Guyot Double) and manually trimmed.
• The rough soils of the Crayères Vineyard make mechanical management of undermining weed development impossible.
• By use of chemical sprays for sulfur and copper, as well as other fungal preventative sprays, is restricted. 
• During the growing season, the trellis and shoot development are manually maintained to maximize sunlight in the canopy while simultaneously controlling yields using hand bunch thinning as necessary.
• The fruit is completely selected and brought to Tiers Winery in Piccadilly Valley for processing.
• The Crayères Vineyard’s accuracy in management, along with their 18 years of knowledge of the environment of this extremely unusual vineyard, allows us to produce superb fruit.
• Crayères Vineyard wine is made from the best parcel of fruit. The grapes are a whole bunch pressed, and the liquid is fermented in seasoned 600L oak demi-muids.
• To improve its young freshness, the Down to Earth Sauvignon Blanc is crushed and destemmed before being fermented in both old oak and stainless steel. 
• Sulfur is added at the conclusion of fermentation for both wines to suppress malolactic fermentation, and the wine is left on the lees for 6- 9 months prior to bottling with mild filtering.

Description of the vintage

• In terms of average rainfall during the growing season, 2019 was a somewhat warm and dry vintage, similar to 2016. Although the December rains were beneficial, they did interfere with blooming and fruit set in the Sauvignon Blanc, limiting yields.
• Temperatures after véraison in February and March were typical for the region, making them ideal for the varietals planted in the Crayères Vineyard.

 Wine’s Details

• Benchmark stuff here, delicate and beautiful Sauvignon Blanc that bears far more resemblance to the great whites of Bordeaux than the majority of Sauvignon Blanc made in Australia.
• The Crayeres vineyard, planted on old fossilized remains, is located close to Lucy’s family winery, Tapanappa. This is a unique location in Wrattonbully, with Terra Rossa soils on top of chalky limestone, generating serious, terror-driven wines.
• This wine is complex and deep, with honeyed rich citrus flavor, a faint smokiness, and a long lingering aftertaste. This is intense and laser-focused, main for the time being, but has so much room for further evolution.

Character and Style

Sauvignon Blanc from Australia is typically delicate, zingy, and delicious. Because of its distinct flavors of citrus, tropical fruit, and green herbs, it is difficult to confuse with other wines.

• To store or not to store

The unoaked Australian Sauvignon Blanc is designed to be eaten young. Some premium oaked versions can be aged for up to five years. It should be kept in a cold, dark, and dry location where the temperature does not vary. Wines with cork closures should be kept lying down. 

• When to Enjoy

Australian Sauvignon Blanc wine is prepared for immediate consumption and maybe drunk right away. Sauvignon Blanc is ideal for every event, including a barbeque, a dinner party, or unwinding after a hard day at work. 

•  Styles, Taste, and Characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc 

Sauvignon Blanc varietal wines are typically dry, medium-bodied, and crisp in structure. There are also sweet Sauvignon Blanc wines, which are produced by leaving a small amount of residual sugar in the wine. Sauvignon Blanc wines range in flavor from lemon zest and green apple to passion fruit and luscious white peach, depending on the maturity of the grapes. This one-of-a-kind white wine boasts pronounced fresh herb flavors of bell pepper, freshly cut grass, and gooseberry. Some wines feature oaky vanilla, cream, and nutmeg characteristics with medium to high acidity.

Also. check the best Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.