In the wine world, the same names and places pop up constantly: Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Tuscany all come to mind as regions that produce top class wines.
But throughout the world there are other, lesser known regions that make interesting and exciting wines that match up well with various quisine.
Today I would like to profile one such region: Sancerre
Sancerre is a small wine growing region in the Loire River Valley in North-central France.
It is most famous for it's white wines made primarily or exclusively of Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The wines are crisp, bracing, fresh and lively on the palate. From The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia 4th Edition:
Classic Sancerre should be bone dry, highly aromatic, and have an intense flavor, sometimes tasting of gooseberries or peaches in great years.
Often compared to it's neighbor Puilly-Fume across the river, Sancerre is usually more rounded on the palate and slightly less aromatic and austere.
When wine snobs talk about terroir Sancerre often comes to mind, a wine which reflects the climate and soils where it is grown. In "Adventures on the Wine Route" Kermit Lynch touches on this subject:
...There are different terroirs or soils at Sancerre, he explained, and he had vines planted in three types of soil: limestone, flint, and clay...At Domaine X, the Sauvignon character was evident, but only as one part of the taste impression. More important was the personality imparted by the soil in which the vine nourished itself, because the wine from each soil type was vinified and bottled seperately with the specific vineyard name on the label. Here were wines from the same grape, the same cellar, vinification, and vintage, but tasting them side by side, one encoutered three remarkably different personalities....The point is, Monsieur X's wines were not one-dimensional quaffers like so many Sancerres. They were more serious, more exciting to taste, because observing and defining their personalities engaged the intellect and the imagination.
Because of it's acidity Sancere is best with food. The classic match-up is shell fish, but also lighter fish dishes, salads and tomato based dishes will work with Sancerre. Another classic match-up is Goat cheese, the flavors are quite complementary.
Buyer beware, these wines are often overpriced. Find a Sancerre from a recent vintage and a merchant whose opinion you trust. Sancerre is an acquired taste, especially with people used to the big, high alcohol, fruit forward wines that are so in vogue these days. Sancerre's appeal is in it's uniqueness: light, and fresh, served cold and tasting of light fleshed fruit like citrus, peach and gooseberries.
Sancerre also makes a small amount of red wine from Pinot Noir. Most are very light, like a Beaujolais, but lately, some producers are making a more full-bodied wine, closer to Burgundy or Oregon Pinot Noir.
If you like Sancerre, similar styled wines come from New Zealand and South Africa.
The Village of Sancerre-from Wikipedia