If you love Sauvignon Blanc, you are not alone. In 2022, U.S. sales of wine produced from the grape rose 24%. In 2023 and 2024, sales continued to rise, but not at the same meteoric pace.
France’s Loire Valley grows excellent Sauvignon Blanc. Wines from Sancerre are predominantly produced from the grape. When you see those wines on a wine store shelf or a wine menu, the region’s name, not the grape, will be on the label, but the fermented juice inside the bottle will be Sauvignon Blanc.
There’s also quality Sauvignon Blanc coming from the Adelaide Hills of Australia, Marlborough in New Zealand, Napa and Sonoma in California, South Africa, Chile, and, of course, right here in New Jersey.
With International Sauvignon Blanc Day coming up on May 2—it’s always the first Friday in May—we thought we’d look at some of the top-notch Sauvignon Blanc being grown and bottled right here in the Garden State.
What To Expect from New Jersey Sauvignon Blanc
Sharrott Winery in Hammonton has been making Sauvignon Blanc for about 15 years.
“It’s been one of our key white wines for years,” says Lawrence Sharrott III, owner and winemaker. The winery, located in New Jersey’s Outer Coastal Plain AVA, produces two different lines of Sauvignon Blanc. The first is made from grapes grown in its estate vineyard. Know the right direction to look in from the large windows in the winery’s tasting room, and you’d be able to spy those vines as you gaze out into vineyards on the property.
“The Sauvignon Blanc from our estate vineyard is made into a Fumé Blanc style,” says Sharrott. “It spends about six months in oak barrels and produces a nice round wine with a nice complexity from the integrated oak and aging.” The Fumé Blanc style gives the wine more of a Loire Valley vibe, it’s dry with hints of citrus and flowers. It’s a limited wine, released yearly in late spring or early summer, that sells out quickly at the winery.
The second bottle that Sharrott Winery produces is made with grapes sourced from our neighbors to the north, New York. (It’s not uncommon for New Jersey wineries to source from other East Coast regions if they can’t grow enough to meet consumer demand.) That wine is clean with tropical fruit and nice acidity.
Neither of those wines tastes exactly like the Sauvignon Blancs many consumers are most familiar with—the grassy, grapefruity ones from New Zealand. Rather, Sharrott Winery’s are “more old world style with no grassiness,” says Sharrott, “but there are hints of citrus.”
In general, that’s what you’ll get from Sauvignon Blanc made from grapes grown in New Jersey or other East Coast regions—citrus fruits, perhaps some tropical notes, and crisp acidity, usually in a wine made in a dry style. If a vintner chooses to age the wine in oak, it may add a little creaminess, perhaps some vanilla, too.
More New Jersey Sauvignon Blanc to Enjoy
These wineries currently have Sauvignon Blanc on their wine menus. Stop in before or on May 2nd to grab a bottle to toast International Sauvignon Blanc Day!
- Blue Cork Winery, Williamstown: Full of tropical (mango, pineapple, passion fruit) and citrus (lemon, grapefruit) with a crisp acidity.
- Old York Cellars, Ringoes: Full of peach and citrus with some tropical fruit and green apple. Light-bodied and crisp.
- Unionville Vineyards, Ringoes: Full of pineapple, passion fruit, and melon with balanced acidity. Half stainless steel aged, half barrel aged.
- Autumn Lake: Williamstown: Autumn Lake’s Halcyon is a blend of half Sauvignon Blanc and half Viognier. The dry wine has notes of mango and white peach.
- Amalthea Cellars, Hammonton: The winery’s Green Dragon Tavern Fumé Blanc is an oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc.
- Valenzano Winery, Shamong: Notes of tropical fruit and citrus with an elegant, refreshing taste.
- Wagonhouse Winery, Swedesboro: Notes of melon and citrus.
- Freightened Turtle Winery, Bridgeton: Fruit forward with flavors of peaches and a crisp finish.
- Saddlehill Cellars, Voorhees: Notes of golden apple, pineapple, citrus, lemongrass, and a little dill.
And when you pop that cork, take a photo to post on social and tag @newjerseywine on Instagram or @NJWineGrowers on Facebook, and add the hashtags #CheersNJWine and #InternationalSauvignonBlancDay, too!
