Just when I thought it was safe to enjoy the autumn press tastings, I found myself drowning in a sea of troubles otherwise known as supermarket sauvignon. Seven at Morrisons, 11 at Oddbins, 11 at Marks & Spencer, 14 at Asda, and no fewer than 18 apiece at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. How much sauvignon blanc can one man take? It’s not that I’m against sauvignon per se. It’s just that since it became the default alternative to Bridget Jones’s’ chardonnay, it’s almost impossible to escape from its aisle-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling ubiquity.

Like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc is the other popular grape variety that has migrated to so many different parts of the New World because of its cash cow capacity. Cynical? Ok then, because it suits the climates of New Zealand, South Africa and Chile with their significant coast lines and cooling breezes. Because of its propensity to grow like a weed, it’s probably the variety whose vines and canopy are the most manipulated in the world.

Thanks to its chemical component known as pyrazines (also contained in cabernet sauvignon), sauvignon is prone to green veggie aromas and flavours ranging from the asparagus, green bean, basil and artechoke spectrum through to the more pleasant green pepper, elderflower, nettle and gooseberry and on to the more tropical flavours of guava and passion fruit. So what’s my gripe? In becoming a brand name, sauvignon has succumbed to a bland, me-too, so-what, who-cares sameyness that’s often uninspiring, if safe. It’s difficult to match with food, so becomes the default bar-propping apéritif dry white, or what’s been referred to by one female wine writer as ‘bitch diesel’ and ‘cougar juice’.

Exceptions abound to every rule and it’s perfectly possible to cut through the blandness and find excellent examples of the variety. One of the positives at this time of year is the fresh enticing zing you get from the new nouveau, that is, just-made 2013 vintage sauvignon blanc from the New World. Herb and gooseberry fool are the hallmarks of the 2013 Helderberg Winery Sauvignon Blanc, £9.99, Marks & Spencer, elderflower-infused herbal notes the trademark of the 2013 Waitrose Reserva Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, £7.99, exuberant lemony-citrusy zesty freshness the characteristics of the 2013 De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc, £11.99, Waitrose.

Maybe it’s just as well then that sauvignon as such gets lost, or rather subsumed, in many of its best manifestations, in other words the refreshingly mineral sauvignons of the Loire Valley. Enjoy for instance the intense nettley fragrance and clean, flinty gooseberry fruit of the 2012 Pouilly Fumé Les Champalouettes, £12.99, Sainsbury’s, the spearminty tang of the 2012 Domaine du Salvard Cheverny, £10.50, Oddbins or the smoky, mineral intensity of the 2012 Domaine Bailly Sancerre, £15.99, Marks & Spencer. Ok done, now, pass the riesling, Alice.

Something for The Weekend

Something for the Weekend 2 November 2013

Night in

2012 Taste the Difference Côtes du Rhône Villages.

Looking for an autumnal-warming juicy spicy Rhône red to spice up your evenings on the sofa or to go with TV pizza or pasta? This bright, exuberantly peppery berry fruited red is just the ticket. £6.99, Sainsbury’s.

Dinner Party

2008 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva.

Garnet and delightfully mature in its sweet, gamey aromas, this is a classic rioja blend of mostly tempranillo with dollops of graciano and mazuelo, showing sweetly smoky cherryish fruit that’s maturing gracefully into mellow, savoury middle age. £14.99, Morrisons.

Splash Out

2010 Avignonesi Vino Nobile

Vino Nobile de Montepulciano is the third great sangiovese-based red to form the famous Tuscan triumvirate, showing, here, a classically elegant richly cherryish rosso with balsamic hints whose succulent fruit is moulded and mellowed into textured finesse. £26, Marks & Spencer.

Ends