By Dave Preston
Guru of the Goodlife™
As northern Nevada moves into the summer heat - and I don't know about you, but I'm ready - it makes sense to start stocking up on a grape variety that can yield wines with serious class and distinction but that also can be chilled right down to make a cooling summer quaff.
Sauvignon Blanc traces its native home to the Loire Valley, where it builds its reputation with tart, aromatic regional wines such as Sancerre and Pouilly- Fumé (not to be confused with the Pouilly-Fuissé a Chardonnay of Burgundy).
It's one of the two primary players (with Semillon) in White Bordeaux; and it's grown literally around the world, in just about every region where wine is made. It has found a particularly welcoming home in the Southern Hemisphere, from South Africa to Chile and Down Under, where New 
Zealand has made Sauvignon Blanc its trademark wine.
Back in the 1960s, when most Americans didn't know what "Sauvignon" meant and fewer still knew how to pronounce it, Robert Mondavi borrowed a term from the Loire and came up with the moniker "Fumé Blanc" to distinguish his dry, lightly oaked Sauvignon Blanc from the sweeter style that then dominated the domestic market. It all started because there was a glut of Sauvignon unsold in the market and Mondavi was as sharp as they came when new marking ideas were needed to sell wine.
The name took off, and before long, there were probably about as many Fumés as Sauvignons on retail shelves. The distinction among styles was quickly lost, so the different names generally didn't represent any consistent pattern of sweet or dry, oaky or unwooded or anything else.
If a single word can be used to describe the grape's aromatic flavor, it might be "zest," evoking both a refreshing tartness and distinct citrus character. In many Sauvignon Blancs, you sometimes notice a nose that at first seem unappetizing. It’s the striking aroma attributable to the chemical methoxypyrazine. Depending largely on sun exposure during ripening, Sauvignon Blancs tend to span a spectrum from bright and citric to "green" and "grassy," depending on growing conditions.
With no real distinction between Sauvignon and Fumé anymore, it could be argued that there's no need for separate labels. But old habits die hard, and I doubt we'll see an end to Fumé Blanc any time soon.
An old friend and a wonderful wine empasario, Don Carano, has one of the best Fumés you can drink at a great price…I've seen it locally for about $11. Ferrari-Carano is one maker that still maintains a consistent distinction between its Fumé Blanc, which is made with just a kiss of oak by keeping 43 percent of the batch in old French oak barrels while the rest resides in neutral stainless steel. The batches are blended just before bottling. Ferrari- Carano Sauvignon Blanc, in contrast, is aged entirely in stainless (and is made from the aromatic Musque clone), creating a wine of considerable different character.
Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc is generally a fine pick when you're enjoying seafood; it's fresh and crisp, with a tart shot of acidity that marries with fish like a squirt of lemon.
One of the most interesting factoids about this grape is the relatively recent discovery by Dr. Carole Meredith of the University of California at Davis that Sauvignon Blanc is actually a parent (crossed with Cabernet Franc) of Cabernet Sauvignon, a variety that most people likely consider of significantly more gravitas than either of its ancestors. It truly fits the bill for warm weather thirst-quenching; good with chicken or seafood and fish dishes that might better tame that high alcohol and acidity. It was fine with a summery potato salad made with wood-smoked salmon and Greek yogurt (I need to keep my partner Kosta Arger, MD happy so I put Greek in whenever I can).
Provided you're on board with the high-alcohol style Sauvignon Blancs, the $10 range is hard to beat. It may pay to shop around, as prices vary ranging from $8 to $15 at various merchants. Best drunk within a year or two, while those fruity aromatics are fresh, but why wait?
A fairly typical flavor profile is pale straw color with fragrant aromas of peach, melon and grapefruit and a touch of a more characteristic Sauvignon Blanc "grassy" note in the background. Ripe and tart citrus flavors, perhaps just a hint of sweetness cloaked by fresh acidity. It's all good! Carpe Diem funseekers, and make it a point to go out and live the good life!
(Dave Preston is a local radio and TV personality who has been a food, wine and entertainment writer for 25 years.)