Would you like to start with some drinks? It used to be an easy question to answer at the restaurant before we got into wine. Now it’s the most loaded question of the night out because for us wine inseparable from the food. In restaurants, we always select food first and then match it with wine. We do the same while wine shopping for dinner at home because we are in constant search for that perfect wine pairing.
While vacationing on Maui, we went to the store to find a wine to pair with fresh grilled Opah (Hawaiian Moonfish). Opah is rich in flavor and fish oils and cooks to white color. You can pair it with some lighter reds like Pinot Noir, but when in Hawaii, we prefer it with good white wine because Opah is so delicate when fresh.
As we looked around the store, we saw 2018 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and 2017 Hubert Brochard Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc from Loire Valley of France. As we looked at Sancerre, we realized that we haven’t had it in a while, and how much we missed its flinty and refreshing character. On the other hand, we wanted to sense the passion fruit of Cloudy Bay too.
This presented us with a perfect opportunity to have a quintessential wineswinging experience: compare the same wine from different regions. In this case, it’s a battle between wines from two iconic regions going against each other. Old World tradition against New World innovation! The wine considered as the gold standard against the 21st-century standard in Sauvignon Blanc world!
To make it fair, we picked bottles in the same price range – around $30. So we didn’t stack up simple $10 New Zealand wine against sophisticated and expensive French. Let the fight begin!
Sancerre vs New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
In the first round, we compared the color, and we couldn’t tell one from another. Both wines had a predictable pale lemon-green color. It’s a draw!
In the second round, each “referee” gave a point for aromas to a different wine. One of us loved more delicate flowery aromas of Sancerre while another enjoyed well-balanced Cloudy Bay aromas leading with passion fruit. It was still too close to call, although we both agreed that New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc had a slight edge with a more pronounced nose. We didn’t really have to hunt for the intricacies of the smell like we did with Sancerre.
We had to taste the wines in a third-round to select the winner. In many ways, they were quite similar. However, Sancerre leaned more towards citrus family fruits and had a more advanced palate. On the other hand, Cloudy Bay had apple and pear notes and a more rounded taste. While we felt that Sancerre offered a more interesting flavor profile, there was no clear winner on taste either.
Both wines paired well with Opah because the refreshing profile of Sauvignon Blanc helped to balance the fattiness of the fish, and fish returned the favor by soothing the acidity in the wine.
To sum up, it wasn’t an easy comparison because both wines come from different terroirs, and winemakers follow different philosophies. In a sense, it was like comparing if New Zealand is better than France. They are distinct, and you visit these countries for various reasons. The same applies to wines from these countries.
So what did we learn from Sancerre vs New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc battle?
We liked both wines for their distinct character and would have them again. We suspect that most wine lovers would enjoy Cloudy Bay over $10-15 bottles from New Zealand. When it comes to the best deal for your money, we feel that the 2017 Hubert Brochard Sancerre is a slightly better value.
When in doubt, what bottle to pick, we get both and go wineswinging!
Have you tried these vintages recently? What do you think?