© Total Wine

Crisp, refreshing and delicious – no wonder Sauvignon Blanc is so popular.

Our search for the world's most sought-after wines leads us to one of the world's favorite grapes.

If it's summer, it must be Sauvignon, an advertising slogan once ran, proving that every cliché contains a nugget of truth.

Sauvignon Blanc is a booming variety, increasingly popular all year round, but with a special affinity for summer – after all, who could refuse a crisp, fruit-driven white on a warm, sunny afternoon? And its ascent seems unstoppable, with a solid two decades of interest behind it and seemingly no limits to its popularity.

It's hard to think that it used to be a muted, almost hidden grape – blended with Semillon in Graves to make strikingly good wines from the better châteaux, and strikingly dull ones from the rest; even the wines of the Loire were understated in comparison with the racy fruit bombs that emerged from New Zealand in the early 1990s.

Those wines – particularly the phenomenon that was Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc – with their supercharged gooseberry, passionfruit and asparagus notes, arguably laid the foundation for Sauvignon's success. Suddenly, drinkers were shifting away from Chardonnay and discovering a world of hyper-vivid, fruit-defined wines that appealed to both experts and those who didn't know much about wine.

While wine styles have evolved in the past 25 years or so, one thing has remained constant – the fruit. Even when oak-aging was in vogue – especially in places like Napa Valley – there were definitive fruit flavors to the wines that marked them out as Sauvignon.

These days, the Sauvignon Blanc scene is dominated by two regions – Loire and Marlborough, each offering very different styles of wine, but both regions increasingly in demand among consumers. And why not? It's not a shy style of wine and whatever opinion you have of Sauvignon Blanc, no one ever accused it of being backward about coming forward.

The domination of the Loire and Marlborough is apparent when you scan through the list of the most searched-for Sauvignon Blancs; France just pips New Zealand at the post with five entries to four. However, the most interesting thing is to compare the list with a similar one from two years ago. Back then, New Zealand held the top two positions, and five of the top 10. Santa Rita Reserva came in at #4 in 2015, but is nowhere near the top 10 this year, while Steenberg, from South Africa has also fallen off the radar.

Overall, though, seven of the wines that featured in the 2015 list crop up again this time round, suggesting that Sauvignon Blanc drinkers are label-loyal in a way that few other grapes – except Cabernet Sauvignon – can boast.

© Visit Loire/Yealands

From gnarled old vines in Sancerre to orderly rows in Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc is as distinctive as its place of origin.

1. Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex, Loire

A single-vineyard expression from a Loire legend, this wine was at #3 two years ago, but is top of the charts today. Named for the soil in the vineyard, Silex reflects the flinty nature of its roots and its price ($122) reflects its quality, with an average critic score of 93.

2. Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

The standard-bearer for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, this has had almost cult status since its first commercial vintage in 1985. Once something of a rarity, it has increased production since being bought by LVMH in 2003, leading to claims it is not as good as it was. However, its consistency is a key to its success.

3. Pavillon Blanc du Château Margaux, Bordeaux

Bordeaux's only entry on the list, but no real surprise – it was at #5 two years ago. The white expression of the First Growth carries the humble Bordeaux appellation, rather than Margaux, but there's nothing humble about the wine – it averages 93 points at $211 a bottle.

4. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

An object lesson in simple, effective marketing, this wine has nothing to do with Kim Crawford anymore, having become a part of first Vincor in 2003 and later Constellation, which bought Vincor in 2006. It was at #1 in 2015, but it is still in the top five, proving the value of a simple, catchy name and a consistent product. A bargain at $15.

5. Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Pur Sang, Loire

The second of this Loire producer's wines on the list, Pur Sang means "pure blood" and is grown in mainly clay soils. This wine has been gradually moving up the search charts until it finally cracked the top 10. Cheaper than its stablemate, but not by much; this 92-pointer will set you back $95 on average.

6. Cloudy Bay Te Koko, Marlborough

It takes its name from the indigneous name for Cloudy Bay, and it also uses indigenous yeast in the winemaking. Barrel fermentation gives this a bit more weight than the average Marlborough Sauvignon, but then who ever said this was an average wine? Up two places from two years ago.

7. Merry Edwards Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley

Finally a California wine, but not from Napa Valley. Up from #10 in the 2015 list, this has been consistently popular over the past five years. While California Sauvignon Blanc is more often associated with Napa, this wine is from a Pinot Noir-dominant region of Sonoma County, but still remains the most popular US Sauvignon.

8. Baron de Ladoucette Pouilly-Fumé Baron de L, Loire

The only surprise at seeing the name Ladoucette on this list is that it took so long to get to it. Producing Pouilly-Fumé wine since 1787, the domaine has vineyards as far afield as Chablis, Switzerland and even Tuscany. Baron de L is something of a flagship wine, explaining the $70 average price tag.

9. Edmond Vatan Sancerre Clos la Neore, Loire

From Loire's other great Sauvignon stronghold, Sancerre, this tiny producer makes just this one wine from a 2.5-acre parcel of the Mont Damnés vineyard. Only 500 cases are made each year, which goes some way towards justifying the $180 average price tag.

10. Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough

From one extreme of availability to the other – Oyster Bay is one of the largest producers of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand. Its global impact is profound; it was once heavily represented in the UK, but has since targeted the US, which now accounts for 40 percent of sales. With a consistent product and a $13 average price tag, you can see why it's popular.