*It was born in France (Loire and Bordeaux) but now resides all over the world; California, New Zealand & Australia, Chile & Argentina.

*From the Old World, though still very acid driven, it displays a ton more minerality, it's still crisp and light but it's more subdued - if one can say that about Sauvignon Blanc!  Looking for a French bottle?  It's usually a bit more costly is referred to as Pouilly-Fume or Sancerre as opposed to saying Sauv Blanc on the label (The Old World relies on regions instead of varietals to describe their wines.)

*In the New World, like New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc displays a ton more zip and racy fruits and makes your mouth really water.  It's very aromatic and usually does display lemon, lime, grapefruit and gooseberry in a more prevalent way.

*It's a relatively easy wine for beginning wine drinkers to enjoy as well because it's refreshing and has great fruit up front.  It also can be a wine that changes from bottle to bottle making trying new ones really fun.

Here are some of my current store favorites:

Ranga Ranga - Marlborough, New Zealand - In New Zealand, Ranga Ranga means "gentle breeze".  It will be the perfect sailboat wine then, right?  It actually reminds me of brisk sea air as it's full of lime zest, passion fruit and a little herbal green fragrance that does scream fresh!  $14

Carlos Basso - Mendoza, Argentina - This is an elegant SB.  It says, put me at your dinner table and everyone will get along with me!  It's got excellent mouth-watering tendencies and gives way to green (peppers, herbs, etc) without being overpowering.  $12

Fire Road - Marlborough, New Zealand - Back in 2000 there was a giant fire in the region and a large majority of the residents got involved in fighting a giant fire and kept it from crossing the road to the fantastic vineyards and homes beyond.  This wine is an homage to those people.  It's filled with gooseberry, passion fruit and honeysuckle giving it very round and alluring qualities.  $12.25

Honig - Napa, California - Melon, lime and mango come to mind as this elegant wine saturates my mouth.  I love Honig wines because they're so careful to pay attention to details.  Honig has gone very 'green' in their farming practices since I've visited them and I'm excited that this wine rests on its skins for a bit and that they use a little tiny bit of neutral oak (not usually used in making Sauv Blancs) for a slightly more round finish. $17.50