We have just had a visit from the Export Director of a winery that we do very well with, but he could not understand why we sell over 1,000 cases of his Sauvignon Blanc each year and only about 50 of his Chardonnay, as the latter happens to be his most successful wine internationally.

I showed him our sales out of New Zealand, Chile, California and the Loire Valley of France and he quickly understood the trend here.

Over the years I have watched my friend Pascal Jolivet grow a little winery that he founded in 1985, to one of the most important producers in the Loire Valley of France. By law all Sancerre and Pouilly Fume must be made from only Sauvignon Blanc grapes, unless it is the rather rare red Sancerre. His Sancerre is produced organically in a gravity fed facility and he is experimenting with biodynamics.

It shows delicate citrus (lemon, grapefruit and lime) and a touch of minerality. There is, as in most Sauvignon Blanc, a hint of what the French call “pipi de chat”. $27.50 for the 2012 or possibly just moved to the 2013.

The Jolivet Pouilly Fume, like his Sancerre is featured in many of the Michelin-starred eating spots in France. As is the general style it is more robust than Sancerre and like all his wines it is fermented with naturally occurring yeasts from the vineyard to give that unique sense of place. It is vibrant yellow in colour with a dry focused nose of citrus and mineral. $27.50.

In 1975 a brand new winery called Matua Valley planted the first Sauvignon Blanc vines in New Zealand and now Marlborough has become world-renown for their wines that are lush with passion-fruit, tropical fruit, notes of fresh mown grass, grapefruit and limes. The Brits like to describe them in polite terms as having a touch of funky tanginess reminiscent of “feline water on a gooseberry bush”. Easier indeed than referring to p-mentha-8-thiol-3-one which is the actual compound that emits this odour when within a certain concentration range.

Our 2013 Matua Valley Sauvignon Blanc, that we sell for $15.90, exhibits classical Marlborough acidity, giving a fresh, clean palate with tropical and citrus fruits and an attractive herbaceous character.

It is probably quite accurate to say that you kind folks in Bermuda have made Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc the most popular of them all, not just from New Zealand, but anywhere. It is pale straw green with brilliant clarity and the zesty aromatics and the lively, penetrating fruit that one would expect. It is crisp, elegant and refreshing and all for $17.95.

Some years ago while we were driving up through California, on the way to Oregon, a restaurateur in Bermuda phoned me and asked if I could stop off north of Napa Valley in Lake County and visit a winery called Six Sigma. His reasoning was that the owner, Kaj Alhmann, is very much connected with international business here and often visits (he was here last week and also in June).

We drove through the gate posts and somehow on a piece of property that is literally about one third the size of Bermuda, we found the tasting cottage and today we stock a range of boutique wines from this family operation.

The Six Sigma “Asbill” Sauvignon Blanc 2013 sourced its fruit from a 12-acre plot called Michael’s Vineyard that is located at the entrance to the property. Asbill is the name of a two-mile-long valley where cold air pools to form a unique microclimate. The vineyard is farmed naturally with no pesticides or herbicides. Sheep compost the natural cover crop and graze there.

This Sauvignon Blanc is from grapes that were hand sorted berry by berry before a light pressing followed by a cold fermentation. Five percent of the juice was fermented in French oak barrels. The wine is clean and crisp with rich scents of lime, lemon, cut grass, melon and Kiwi. You will find guava, tangerine, pear and grapefruit, hints of sourdough bread and spice. $21.95.

This column is a paid for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East. 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available online at www.wineonline.bm