About Sauvignon Blanc A king among white grapes, Sauvignon Blanc features prominently in France’s Loire Valley, where it is the primary white grape used in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. In Bordeaux it is a main grape for dry white-wine production, as well as one of three grapes used to produce the famous Botrytis cinerea-inflected Sauternes. And in New Zealand, it’s used by winemakers to produce grassy, aromatic white wines. Sauvignon Blanc grapes are pale green in color which leads to equally light-colored wines. This grape buds late and ripens early, and thrives in climates with consistent sunshine and moderate heat. On the vine, it yields tight bunches of small berries that are highly susceptible to rot. It uniformly prefers cool climates, which temper it from over-ripening and keep its famously bracing acidity in check.