Editing Sauvignon blanc (section)

==History==
[[File:Parts of the original Cresta blanca winery at Wente.jpg|left|thumb|The first plantings of Sauvignon blanc were introduced into California at [[Cresta Blanca Winery]] in the [[Livermore Valley]].]]
The Sauvignon blanc grape traces its origins to the Val de Loire region in France according to Jancis Robinson in her book "Wine Grapes". The earliest recording was in 1534 by Francois Rabelais in his book, Gargantua. As noted above, it is not clear that the vine originated in western France. Ongoing research suggests it may have descended from Savagnin. It has also been associated with the Carmenere family. At some point in the 18th century, the vine paired with [[Cabernet Franc]] to parent the [[Cabernet Sauvignon]] vine in Bordeaux. In the 19th century, plantings in Bordeaux were often interspersed with [[Sauvignon vert]] (In Chile, known as [[Sauvignonasse]]) as well as the Sauvignon blanc pink [[mutation (vine)|mutation]] [[Sauvignon gris]]. Prior to the [[phylloxera]] epidemic, the [[insect]] plague which devastated French vineyards in the 19th century, these interspersed cuttings were transported to [[Chile]] where the [[field blend]]s are still common today. Despite the similarity in names, Sauvignon blanc has no known relation to the [[Sauvignon rosé]] mutation found in the [[Loire Valley]] of [[France]].<ref name="Clarke p. 221">Oz Clarke. ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'', p. 221, Harcourt Books 2001. {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}.</ref>

The first cuttings of Sauvignon blanc were brought to [[California]] by [[Charles Wetmore (winemaker)|Charles Wetmore]], founder of [[Cresta Blanca Winery]], in the 1880s.<ref name=pro>[http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/sauv_blanc.htm Wine Pros Sauvignon blanc].</ref> These cuttings came from the [[Sauternes (wine)|Sauternes]] vineyards of [[Château d'Yquem]]. The plantings produced well in [[Livermore Valley]]. Eventually, the wine acquired the alias of Fumé Blanc in California by promotion of [[Robert Mondavi]] in 1968. The grape was first introduced to New Zealand in the 1970s as an experimental planting to be blended with [[Müller-Thurgau]].<ref name="Clarke p. 225">Oz Clarke. ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'', p. 225, Harcourt Books 2001. {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}.</ref>