If you’re a lover of Sauvignon Blanc you will probably already have your favourites, New Zealand or Chile branded or labelled by the grape ….. or maybe Sancerre from France which immediately tells you something about the terroir and culture behind the wine. The problem is that Sauvignon lovers are often hit in the pocket for buying such a wine from Sancerre, especially if in a restaurant, so what’s the BEST alternative?

Let’s start with prices. The cheapest Sancerre from The Wine Society (UK) is £19. The range of prices at the Waitrose supermarket is £16-£23. The cheapest Sancerre from Majestic Wine Warehouse is £19.99. The only one of these I’d trust for quality is from The Wine Society, who are a not for profit society of which I am a member.

So what to do?

As always, step outside the region of interest, Sancerre in this case, it’s only a geographical boundary. Just like delineated wine villages such as Meursault…… expensive, or …… St Aubin ….. cheap in Burgundy, same soil, same grape, …… you know the rest!

Next to Sancerre is Menetou-Salon, a smaller district of unlimited potential with Domaine Henri Pelle leading the way. Now, I could labour this but my followers know I won’t write extensive and boring tasting notes with the widest range of “fruit salad bingo” on the planet! So, next time you’re looking for a Sauvignon Blanc and fancy a Sancerre ….. don’t; find a Menetou-Salon instead. And, by the way, the BEST Menetou-Salon from the Wine Society costs £13.50 for a 2017 vintage, this is my last bottle of the 2015 vintage bought a couple of years back.

Categories: Loire, Wine

Tags: French wine, Menetou-Salon, sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc, terroir, Wine, wine blogging, wine buff, wine lovers, wine tips