wino - The Michael Pour

A poll was conducted on Instagram and the results are based on 25 responses.

The four choices given in the poll were – Sauvignon Blanc 40%, Riesling 36%, Chenin Blanc 20%, Pinot Gris/Grigio 4%. An additional 10 different white wines were submitted in comments.

The winner is “Sauvignon Blanc”. Because Sauv Blanc was the winner, I will feature it later in this story. Sauvignon Blanc is produced all over the world so I will explain the differences from region to region and fun facts about this noble grape.

There were several people who wrote in their choice of these four, as well as other white wines, that they like to drink in the summer from the additional list provided or others that they like.

These write-in responses are not included in the above percentages but listed below with country/region. Every wine mentioned on the post were included. Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc, which were choices on the poll, were written in and not reflected in percentages.

Submitted whites – Verdejo (Spain), Gruner Veltliner (Austria & US), Chablis (France), Riesling (FLX), Alsace Riesling (France), Albarino (Spain & Portugal), Txakoli (Spain), Vinho Verde (Portugal), Chardonnay (all over), Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc from Loire Valley France).

I included other great summer white wines not voted for or listed as people’s favorite below. They can be super refreshing, crisp, and brilliant this warm, summer season regardless of your plans.

If you would like to try something different for your summer wine drinking and expand your summer palate, seek them out and give them a whirl.

A few quotes. Thank you to all those who participated. It really made this a fun story! –

“Albarino and Txakoli are two other summer favorites” ~ thesipseries

“I like a crisp Chablis. Cold sauvy b (from any region) is also a plus. But please do not put jalapenos in it” ~ mollyb

“I also love Vihno Verde in the summer”~ sonyab

“I also love a good Chardonnay! Don’t really care where its from”~ rebekkah

“I like a crisp Sancerre in the summer. Also, Albarino is another favorite”~ shannonp

Most of these varietals are specific to their native land and difficult to find here in the states. They range from aromatic, light, medium, and full-bodied and from dry to off-dry to medium-dry. Listed by country of origin and region, if significant, body, and sweetness level.

Italy –

Trebbiano Toscano – light to full bodied and dry to off dry

Vermentino – light bodied and dry

Greci di Tufo – medium to full bodied and dry

Verdicchio – light bodied and dry

Fiano – light bodied and dry

Garganega/Soave – light bodied and dry

Greece –

Assyrtiko – light bodied and dry

Argentina –

Torrontes – aromatic and dry to off dry

France –

Semillon (White Bordeaux, Australia, US) – light to full bodied and dry

Viognier (Rhone, US, Australia, similar to Chardonnay) – aromatic and dry

Marsanne (Rhone) – light to full bodied and off-dry

Roussanne (Rhone) – light to full bodied and dry

Aligoté (White Bordeaux) – light bodied and dry

Picpoul (mostly Loire Valley) – light bodied and dry

France & Spain –

Grenache Blanc/Garnacha Blanc – dry and light to full bodied.

France, Italy, Greece & others –

Muscat Blanc – aromatic and dry to medium dry in France

All over Europe and some pockets in US –

Pinot Blanc – dry and light bodied

US, France & all over the world –

Gewurztraminer – aromatic and dry to off dry

If you would like to learn more about any of these delicious white wines, please reach out. Have you experienced a glass or bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from different parts of the world?

Sauvignon Blanc

Here is a take on your favorite Sauvy Blanc grape. If you’ve been sipping from the same bottle of SB over the years, you know, that one called “Kim Crawford” from New Zealand, then you may not realize that it is produced all over the world, not just in NZ.

During my recent time in Columbia Valley, Washington, I had the pleasure of experiencing some really good ones. It is the same grape no matter where it is planted, but because it is grown in a different place, it becomes a completely different wine.

Here are four expressions of Sauv Blanc from four elite wine regions. Some may know of them, while others may be surprised. SB used to be the ‘it” girl, but is gradually being replaced by the trendy Chenin Blanc for that title. My wine colleague, Molly B, loves it very cold!

Sancerre

Sauvignon Blanc is called Sancerre in the classic Loire Valley of France. The most popular regional wine of the Loire is Sancerre. It is largely produced in the Touraine region. Sancerre is lean and mineral driven with notes of citrus, in particular lime and grapefruit, gooseberry, possibly some green apple, herbal flavors (same compounds found in green peppers), and slate/flint. My friend, Shannon P. is a big fan!

There can be some smokiness, which is unusual for whites, considering the lack of oak influence. Stylistically, the Sauvignon Blanc from Damiani Wine Cellars called “Little Lotus Flower” in the Finger Lakes Region of NY is similar to a Sancerre.

Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand

Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand’s most important grape and Marlborough is the top producing region. The wines here offer more green tropical fruit notes, like kiwi, passion fruit, and pear, that contain a touch of residual sugar to help balance out the high acidity in the grapes.

The wines can be explosively aromatic with the aroma source of freshly cut grass. It can be zesty. That’s a signature aroma that can help you determine that you’re drinking a SB from NZ.

White Bordeaux, France

Here Sauvignon Blanc is more structured and textured. Notes of citrus, in this case, more lemon and grapefruit, and honey and light wax/lanolin texture. It is often blended with Semillon from Bordeaux, a fuller bodied wine with a rounder and creamier texture and notes of apple. Semillon can age better than Sauvy B so this blend can give you more years to drink. Some of the best sweet, dessert wine called Sauternes is made from Semillon.

Napa Valley, California, USA

Sauvignon Blanc in the warm Napa and Sonoma Valleys can offer a riper, richer, and more generous version of the grape. Notes of tropical fruit, like melon, and stone fruit, like white peach dominate while still displaying a little citrus and herbaceous notes. Some Sauvignon Blancs in Napa are aged in oak creating more texture, complexity, and vanilla notes. Even in this warmer climate, the wines have ample acid backbone, and the good winemakers make it shine with the fruit.

What does all Sauvignon Blanc have in common?

All Sauvignon Blanc wines share a foundational profile characterized by high acidity, a dry, light-to-medium body, and vibrant, herbaceous, and fruit-forward aromas, typically spanning citrus (grapefruit, lime, lemon) to tropical notes (kiwi, melon, passion fruit).

It is consistently a cool-climate or high-acidity grape used to produce crisp, refreshing, and usually unoaked white wines. Most are produced to be drunk young, crisp, and fresh. Alcohol content generally ranges from 11.5% to 14% ABV.

While climate affects whether the wine tastes greener/herb-forward (cooler, e.g., Loire Valley) or tropical fruits (warmer, e.g., California), its fundamental “green,” high-acid structure remains consistent.

Sauvy Blanc is very food-friendly wine because of the high acidity and lighter body. Pair it with herb or citrus-driven sauces, green veggies and summer salads, salty cheeses, herb-crusted chicken (Napa especially), white fish, oysters and mussels (Sancerre especially), scallops, and all kinds of Asian cuisine (New Zealand, especially).

What other white wines are similar to Sauvignon Blanc in terms of its style and profile?

Fume Blanc (Loire), Gruner Veltliner, Vermentino, Chenin Blanc (Loire), and Verdejo.

Here are my recommendations for each regional Sauvignon Blanc. The exception is that I chose a Semillon was Wash State, US instead of one from Bordeaux.

Domaine Henri Bourgeois ES-56 Sancerre 2022

Chateau Brondelle 2021 Graves Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

St. Supery 2020 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Dog Point Vineyard 2025 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Cheers & Sante,

Michael XOXO

March 27, 2026

Welcome to the first edition of “Terroir Talk”. This will be a weekly wine series on everything ‘wine’ that will be guided by you, the audience. In case you’re not familiar with the term ‘terroir”, what it means or how to pronounce it, here is a brief explanation –

Terroir (pronounced tear-whah) is a French term with no direct English equivalent. It basically refers to a “sense of place”. It is the combination of environmental factors, like soil, climate, weather and topography/geography that give agricultural products, especially wine, a unique, non-replicable character linked to their specific origin.

Since all wine comes from the earth via grapes, it is an appropriate name for the beginning of this wine series. No ‘terroir’ in the world is exactly the same, therefore, no wine is exactly the same when you factor in ‘terroir’.

How it works? Users and subscribers will submit their wine questions on the comments sections here, from the “Terroir Talk” group chat on Instagram, Instagram posts, direct email, or text. Every week, Michael will review the questions and list them on this page and provide answers directly below with mention of the person posing the question. If you desire anonymity and privacy, I will not mention your name.

As mentioned above, the purpose of this forum is to engage wine lovers, provide consumer education, and tailor the content to you, my followers and audience. I hope to receive at least 2-3 questions per week. In the case of more submissions, I will table them for the next edition.

Many of my followers are local to Central NY and NYS where I reside so many of the questions will have a local and state flavor. However, that doesn’t preclude a discussion on grapes, wines, and regions spanning the globe. You will find that many wine enthusiasts are curious about the differences from one region to another.

I hope this weekly wine column will be useful and a great resource for your wine studies, wine knowledge, wine curiosity, and confidence in buying and ordering wine. I encourage all wine and interest levels to sign up by email for the free newsletter on the homepage, so you don’t miss a drop. Please share with others so we can make this page a huge success. If so, maybe a podcast is in our future.

Shannon from PA asks, “How to describe wine”?

Because this is a loaded question, I will write up a separate blog post to answer it thoroughly. The system that wine schools use can differ. I am classically trained in the WSET method of tasting wine with a focus on appearance, clarity, nose, palate, and assessment of quality.

With appearance, you look at intensity, color, and how it appears. With nose, you note the intensity, aroma traits, and development of wine. With palate, you describe the sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol, body, texture, flavor intensity, flavor traits, and finish. With the final assessment, you describe the quality (faulty, poor, acceptable, good, very good, outstanding) and readiness for drinking and potential for aging.

Wine professionals will use this method or other methods, which vary a little, when reviewing and rating wines. They will use a systematic approach by jotting down notes that cover all or most of these points listed above. Stay tuned for a more in-depth look at describing wine. Thank you Shannon!

Allison from Long Island, NY asks, “I know of wine from the Finger Lakes and Long Island, NY, but where else in NY produces wine”?

I answered this briefly on the instagram group chat last night but will answer it in more detail here. New York’s Wine Regions (7) span from the Niagara Escarpment in the northwest corner of NY on the Canada border, Lake Erie in the southwest corner of NY along Lake Erie, Finger Lakes in the middle of the state.

There are 11 official lakes in the pattern of fingers running north to south. The 3 main grape growing lakes (Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga) in the center of the region. Keuka Lake is the only lake that breaks off into two fingers.

Champlain Valley of NY is located in the northeast corner of the state bordering Vermont and Canada. It is a lesser-known wine region. Upper Hudson and Hudson River Region are in the Hudson Valley in the Catskill Mountains along the eastern side of the state. Lastly, Long Island is an island in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New York City. Thank you Allison!

Next time, we will delve into this question.

Alexandra and Rebekah from Central NY and group chat both ask, “Explain the difference between Finger Lakes Rieslings and Old-World Rieslings“?

Here is the direct link to our new and rapidly growing wino group chat on IG – https://ig.me/j/AbZTQkzqM-4x1fDc/

If you have any questions or wish to submit your wine questions, you can email me at michael@michaelpour.com or DM on instagram. If on instagram, but don’t follow me yet, please do and let’s have some fun.