I’ll let you in on a little secret, Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite wine to drink during the summer months. It’s a crisp white wine with hints of citrus that goes perfectly with a hot summer day. It’s still a bit sweet, but not like a Moscato, which is a wine that most people who are new to drinking wine seem to gravitate toward. So if you love Moscato but are looking to branch out, a good Sauvignon Blanc may be just the thing.
I have sampled many bottles of Sauvignon Blanc over the years with lots of hits and some misses. Most of the ones that I have had are in the $15-$20 range, so when I came across a 2019 Sunshine Bay Sauvignon Blanc at Aldi — an everyday Regular Buy — for $7.95 I was very excited to try it.
From the bottle:
Blended from select estate vineyards in the Wairau Valley of New Zealand’s world famous Marlborough wine region, the tropical guava and passion fruit flavors of this Sauvignon Blanc are balanced perfectly with crisp acidity, stony minerality and citrus notes. This lively, fresh and dry wine is aged in 100% stainless steel tanks and is best enjoyed chilled. Light in body this style of wine is excellent with fresh seafood, poultry, light cheeses or simply on its own. Alc. 12.5% by Volume.
The fine print. (Click to enlarge.)
Upon pouring the wine, I noticed that it is a very pale yellow with nothing too striking about the appearance. But the first sniff blew me away! It smelled of peaches ripe on the tree, with hints of citrus and a touch of grapefruit. The fruits that came to mind were lemon and lime, but that could just be because of the light yellow color. I didn’t notice an overpowering alcohol smell, which for me is ideal.
Along with the first taste came a complexity that starts out smooth and light in flavor and builds with a bit of a zing at the end. The taste of lemon becomes more pronounced while drinking it. All in all a very well rounded crisp and citrusy Sauvignon Blanc. I will definitely be grabbing some more bottles next time I’m at Aldi.
The Verdict:
Wine Spectator gave it 89 points, Wine Orbit gave it 90+, and I’m going to give it a 93 taking into consideration the wine’s great price, the fantastic smell, and how the citrus taste builds to a zippy, tart finish.
Also a wonderful bonus as to why this wine is sooo good! It’s the water! In a list of 148 OECD countries, New Zealand is ranked number 1 in terms of freshwater quality, Water is sacred and foundation of life to the Maori and New Zealand fiercely tries to protect its water.
Love the diversity of products that Aldi’s brings with different products and manufacturers. My favorite place to shop!
It tastes like meat. Yuck.
The 21 version left a bad taste in my mouth, almost chemical like! It started well, grapefruit and everything we like about Marlborough but the finish made it undrinkable. I poured it down the drain….pity.