Working-class heroes

(STEPHEN MEUSE)

Rolling Estate Wines Central Ranges Sauvignon Blanc -Semillon 2006. Bright, crisp fruit and good concentration give this Australian entry a nice, round, satisfying effect. Chalk a portion of it up to the civilizing influence of a considerable semillon component. Around $12. Cambridge Wine & Spirits, 617-864-7171; Best Cellars, Brookline, 617-232-4100; Curtis Liquors, South Weymouth, 781-331-2345.

Nobilo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007. Fans of the New Zealand style may want something more aggressive, but this somewhat understated interpretation suited us nicely; it never became fatiguing. Lively, with good steady citrus-like fruit and a distinctly piney note. Around $10. Gordon's Fine Wine, Waltham, 781-893-1900; Nejaime's Wine Cellars, Lenox, 800-946- 3988; Wollaston Wine and Spirits, Quincy, 617-479-4433.

Geyser Peak Winery California Sauvignon Blanc 2006. The next generation California sauvignon blanc. Cool-climate coastal fruit, early harvesting, no oaky frou frou; balanced, clean as a whistle, a hint of complexity. A find. Around $12. Post Road Liquors, Wayland, 508-358-4300; Blanchard Liquor, Jamaica Plain, 617-522-9300; Concord Cheese Shop, Concord, 978-369-5778.

Buitenverwachting "Beyond" Coastal Region 2006. Everything we like about the grape: refreshing, zesty fruit, varietal character, hopping acidity - plus a dose of smokey South African character. Around $11. Federal Wine & Spirits, Boston, 617-367-8605; Trader Joe's, Framingham, 508-935-2931; Wollaston Wine and Spirits.

Montes "Classic Series" Casablanca-Curico Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007. Straightforward Old World-inspired style fruit with some tropical notes present; there's a firm, toned shapeliness here that's keenly appetizing - even a faint trace of spritz. Around $11. Whole Foods, River St., Cambridge, 617-876-6990; Colonial Spirits, Acton, 978-263-7775; Best Cellars, Brookline.

In a world where kindergartners call their teachers by their first names and humble origins are no bar to either becoming a president or marrying one, the idea that certain grapes should be considered per se patrician and others inherently plebeian strikes us as curious, if not downright suspicious. Still, it wasn't that long ago that it was common to hear wine writers refer to noble grapes, when speaking of chardonnay, pinot noir, and a few other important varietals. The message was clear as crystal stemware: There were noble grapes that made great wines and fetched high prices - and then there was everything else.

Outside the idealized world of the collector and connoisseur these categories have never really been as tidy as all that. Merlot is a noble varietal that provides the raw material for oceans of nonetheless low-brow wine, for example. And one of the great stories of the last three decades has been the way in which a few especially skilled and visionary winemakers have made spectacular wines by treating working-class grapes as if they were princes of the blood.

That said, sauvignon blanc remains - with rare exception - true to its proletarian roots: a pragmatic, hardworking grape prized mainly for its ability to make bright, refreshing, cheery wines that are handy with food and most at home in the informal setting of the cafe, or its equivalent. It's emerged as a true international variety, thriving in regions as diverse as Italy's Alto Adige, Chile's Maipo Valley, and southeastern Australia. Oh, and let's not forget California, where Robert Mondavi's fortunes got a boost in 1968 when he began marketing something he called fumé blanc - a distinctly sunny Left Coast version crowned with an anomalous laurel of oak.

As its name suggests, France is sauvignon blanc's true ancestral homeland. In the Loire Valley it's responsible for the now trendy and increasingly pricey white wines of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, and for the whites of Bordeaux, where it is often smoothed out with a percentage of semillon. With it, New Zealanders make wines of such startling intensity and penetration that they can become tiresome - though naturally a judgment of this kind this will always be a matter of taste.

In addition to variations in concentration and briskness, you'll encounter flavors and aromas that tend to group themselves into a handful of easily recognized profiles. Among these are the herbal/grassy, the gooseberry/grapefruity, and, less commonly in the New World, the flinty/minerally. Various combinations of these elements are frequently met - as is something called cattiness, an experience, as the Scots preacher used to say, that's better felt that telt.

Due largely to exchange-rate issues, we suppose, no Old World examples hit both the price point and our personal sweet spot. But in the end, the regional diversity exhibited in our slate of faves proved a source of genuine surprise - and pleasure. - STEPHEN MEUSE

Stephen Meuse can be reached at onwine@comcast.net.