Wine: It's time to give sauvignon blanc another try

  The most versatile white wine with food is sauvignon blanc, yet most Americans drink chardonnay.

Perhaps one reason is that chardonnay is easier to sip before dinner while sauvignon blanc can be tart and grassy for some tastes.

While chardonnay goes well with many foods, sauvignon blanc's acidity lets it accompany food ranging from fish to chicken to even light pork.

American sauvignon blancs offer a wide range of flavors and structure. My wine-tasting panel compared four of them, all costing less than $15. The results follow.

» 2007 Chateau Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc, $12.99.
This Columbia Valley, Wash., wine had an aroma of citrus fruit, especially lime, kiwi, white peaches, grass and limestone. It was almost spritzy on the tongue, with flavors of white peaches, grassiness and limestone. The good balance and a sweet finish helped make this wine tops in our tasting.

» 2007 Rodney Strong Charlotte's Home Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc, $14.99.
A wide-ranging aroma included white fruit, grapefruit, lime, cauliflower, white peppercorn and candied fruit. We found tastes of green Granny Smith apples, candied fruit, sour and tart fruit. The fruit tasted young and green. This wine tied for second in our tasting.

» 2007 Geyser Peak California Sauvignon Blanc, $13.99.
The nose suggested grapefruit, fresh grass and matchstick. The wine had nice balance with lots of acids and flavors like lemon tart candy. The matchstick aromas eventually went away, making the wine more pleasant. This was the most crisp of the wines in the tasting. It tied for second.

» 2006 Stephen Vincent Sauvignon Blanc, $12.99.
This wine had a restrained nose, with lime, citrus, herbs and wet stone. In the mouth, we tasted lime, other citrus, pepper, herbs and baby aspirin. This wine was not as bright as the others; it had more herbal characteristics.

SURFING THE WINE SHELVES:

» Non-vintage Pommery Brut Royal Champagne, $42.
Aromas of lemon, peaches and pears with a dusty tinge and a hint of bread in the nose. Fresh and delicate in the mouth, the light body was nevertheless elegant. A superb value at this price.

» 2006 The Little Penguin Summer White, $6.99.
Made from 60 percent chardonnay and 40 percent riesling, this medium-light blend had a fruity sweet edge to it, with mild flavors of pears and citrus.

» 2006 Craggy Range Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard Hawkes Bay, $27.
This Bordeaux-style blend (58 percent merlot, 22 percent cabernet sauvignon, 15 percent cabernet franc and 5 percent malbec) from New Zealand had rich and opulent fruit, including plums and blackberries, plus nice spice.

» Sixth Sense Lodi Syrah, $17.
With a rich and bold aroma, this wine immediately grabbed our attention. Full of blackberry, coffee and mild oak flavors, this wine was a nice surprise, well worth the price.

» 2007 Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Collection Monterey Chardonnay, $15.
An easy-drinking chardonnay with green apple flavors plus pineapples and spicy oak plus a hint of melon.