Savvy?!?

Few things have experienced anti-gravitational success recently in the wine industry like that of Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc variety is receiving plenty of interest in the grape and bulk wine market in Washington State and Oregon. Scores, sales, and recognition among retailers are all hallmarks of this variety’s growing success trends. Washington State Sauvignon Blancs offer ripe tropical fruit profiles with ample acidity. Willamette Valley’s less planted, put widely sought after editions offer taut acidity backed by heady aromas.

A winemaker’s dream in terms of its stylistic diversity, Sauvignon Blanc is finding broad reception in the wine audience ranging from newly curious to long tenured consumers. In a Washington grape market that is mostly oversupplied, there is plenty of pre-harvest action on wine grapes, juice for shipping, and bulk wine production contracts. There is tangible interest in planting and development in this space for Sauvignon Blanc and its complimentary blending partner, Semillon. The demand for this variety in Oregon at least doubles the planted acreage.

The most important group of wine consumers to the future health of the wine industry is in the 25-40 age range. Capturing the interest of drinkers in this age range creates future potential commercial development for the wine industry. As these drinkers are captured by food friendly, easy to comprehend wines like Sauvignon Blanc, their interest about wine is captivated and their experience broadens. Some creative producers have even floated or initiated the concept of lower calorie Sauvignon Blanc to caper on with broader drinks business trends for lower alcohol/lower calorie consumables.

Sauvignon Blanc checks so many boxes for wine consumers in terms of its versatility, food friendliness, established brand recognition, and durable, growing market presence that the excitement with industry executives surrounding this varietal is palpable.

As Johnny Depp asked us in his Keith Richards-inspired performance in Pirates of the Caribbean, “Ya savvy?!?”