Crisp, grassy sauvignon blanc enhances foods

The most versatile wine to accompany food has to be sauvignon blanc.

Because of its usual high acidity and crisp finish, sauvignon blanc doesn't appeal to many wine drinkers before a meal, but those same characteristics can cleanse a palate and make food taste better.

Sauvignon blancs can be herbaceous or grassy, with hints of minerals -- a very distinctive aroma.

In recent years, many producers, especially in California, have tried to make the wines fruitier while maintaining the crispness. That can be a challenging process, especially if you are looking for an inexpensive wine to go with chicken, fish or other light fare.

I asked my wine-tasting group to compare five sauvignon blancs costing less than $10. Here is what we found:

- 2001 Canyon Road Sauvignon Blanc at $9.99. This wine had a sweet, fruity aroma, showing pear and pineapple with a bit of grass. In the mouth, it had a creamy but clean texture. For a sauvignon blanc, it had less acidity than we expected.

The Canyon Road rated third in our tasting.

- 2002 Firestone Sauvignon Blanc at $9.99. This wine was more herbaceous in the aroma, but lemon rind and citrus were plentiful. In the mouth, it was very refreshing. The finish turned to grapefruit rind.

The Firestone was our runner-up.

- 2002 Buckeley's Sauvignon Blanc at $8.99. The Buckeley's aroma was grassy and dusty with a hint of minerals. In the mouth, it had good acids in balance with the fruit. It was clean and crisp with a tart finish -- the best finish of the five.

This wine ranked first in our tasting.

- 2001 Guenoc Sauvignon Blanc at $9.99. We discovered melon in a rather subdued aroma. The taste was better than the nose. Lower in acids, it had a flatter taste than the others.

- 2001 Touraine Sauvignon Blanc at $9.99. This wine was made in the Loire Valley of France. The aroma was minerally and oily in a pleasant way. Lime tastes dominated in the mouth. It was very crisp at the end.

Surfing the wine shelves

- 1999 Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon at $20. Dark fruit filled the aroma with hints of chocolate and vanilla. The vanilla from the oaking became more pronounced in the mouth along with dark chocolate flavors. Smoky oak dominated the finish.

- 2000 William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon at $22. This wine had traditional cabernet flavors of black currants, cassis and dark fruit. It was full bodied and would stand up well to a steak.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to editor