Fans of crisp white wines won’t go far wrong choosing a bottle of Sancerre.
Considered by many to be the ultimate French white, Sancerre is actually made from 100 per cent Sauvignon Blanc grapes. That doesn’t mean all Sauvignon Blanc is Sancerre, however. To be labelled as such, the wine must be produced in the officially designated region on the eastern side of France’s Loire Valley, known for its rolling hills, continental climate and varied soils including limestone and clay.
Sancerre doesn’t even have to be white. The region also makes smaller amounts of red and rosé wines, made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes. Rosé wines tend to be fresh and juicy with noticeable minerality and citrus notes, while reds are generally light and delicate with plenty of fruit flavours. Although these account for less than 20 per cent of the region’s production now, the region was initially better known for its reds until the phylloxera epidemic destroyed huge areas of vineyard in the 19th century.
These days, it’s usually assumed that Sancerre is a white and it’s a safe bet on any wine list when looking for a decent drop. The downside is that it’s usually more expensive than the average Sauvignon Blanc as Sancerre wines are reliably high quality, always in demand and often made by smaller, well-respected producers.
Whites from the region are dry, clean and typically unoaked, with high acidity and flavours of citrus, grass, gooseberry, flint and honeysuckle. They tend to be a little more subtle than the most popular Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand, which have stronger and often more tropical flavours.
It's also the perfect bottle for the dinner table, as white Sancerre is fantastically food-friendly and works perfectly with chicken, pork, most seafood dishes, summer vegetables, lightly spiced food and fattier cheeses including the famous goat’s cheese from the same region. Just remember to chill the bottle well before opening, even if drinking a red Sancerre.
Best Sancerre wines at a glance:
- Best Sancerre overall: Sancerre Domaine Chevreau - £19, Ocado
- Best special occasion Sancerre: Harvey Nichols Sancerre 2022 - £23.50, Harvey Nichols
- Best Sancerre under £20: M&S Collection Sancerre Les Ruettes - £17, Ocado
- Best fruity Sancerre: Joseph Mellot Sancerre La Gravalière 2022 - £19.63, Vinatis
- Best Sancerre for summer drinking: Domaine Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Genèse Sancerre Rosé 2022 - £17.99, Majestic
- Best for pairing with fish dishes: Calvet Sancerre - £21.50, Ocado
- Best rosé Sancerre: Sancerre Rosé, La Louèe, Domaine Sylvain Bailly - £18.99, Twelve Green Bottles Wine
- Best budget Sancerre: Sancerre ‘Les Chailloux’, Francois et Jean-Marie Cherrier 2022 - £16.50, The Wine Society
- Best red Sancerre: Domaine Michel Girard Sancerre Rouge 2022 - £19.99, Virgin Wines
- Best luxury Sancerre: Andre Neveu Sancerre ‘Les Longues Fins’ - £22.99, The Wine Flyer
- Best budget Sancerre rosé: Tesco Finest Sancerre Rosé - £15, Tesco
- Best supermarket own-label Sancerre: Morrisons The Best Sancerre - £19, Morrisons
- Best food-friendly Sancerre: Domaine Roger Neveu Côte des Embouffants Sancerre - £18.99, Majestic
- Best Sancerre for sushi: Sancerre, Domaine Thierry Merlin-Cherrier 2022 - £18.50, Majestic
- Best blow the budget Sancerre: Daniel Crochet Sancerre Blanc 2022 - £29.99, Virgin Wines
See the full review below
Sancerre Domaine Chevreau
Best: Food-friendly Sancerre
- ABV: 13 per cent
- Year: 2023
We were bowled over by this Sancerre but you don’t just need to take our word for it. This bottle also won a silver medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2023 so it’s had the thumbs up from a range of wine experts who all know a good Sancerre when they sip it.
And what a Sancerre it is – crisp, light and smoothly balanced with a moreish mouthfeel and a beautifully bracing acidity. There’s plenty to excite your taste buds if you hate wimpy whites too. Think apple, citrus and blossom flavours with notes of grass, tangy gooseberries and even the merest hint of tropical fruits. It’s a real Sancerre stunner.
Buy now £19.00, Ocado
Harvey Nichols Sancerre 2022
Best: Special occasion Sancerre
- ABV: 12 per cent
- Year: 2022
Any bottle of Sancerre will impress but one from esteemed department store Harvey Nichols will dial up the luxe factor. Behind the smart minimal bottle, the wine won’t let you down either.
It’s produced by a partnership between Domaine Gérard Fiou and Henri Bourgeois using low-yielding vines, some of which are over 60 years old. These are grown on flinted hills before six months of lees develop the flavours further. Though it’s deliciously light, its pop of citrus, smoky minerality and lip-smacking acidity pack enough punch to ensure the wine also holds its own served alongside a roast chicken or a fresh green salad with a lemon dressing. Bring it out whenever you want to turn heads.
Buy now £23.50, Harvey Nichols
M&S Collection Sancerre Les Ruettes
Best: Sancerre under £20
- ABV: 13 per cent
- Year: 2020
We’re big fans of M&S Collection wines, which are a curated selection of top-notch vinos from the world’s most famous wine regions. They’re a great way to guarantee a stand-out sample from a renowned area if you’re unsure where to start with named wineries, and all are surprisingly excellent value.
This is one of the best Sancerre wines you’ll get your hands on for under £20. Elegant and subtle, it’s chock full of green apple and intense citrus flavours with a herbal twist and refreshing minerality that makes it a delight to drink all on its own. And at this price, you won’t need to wait until the weekend to treat yourself to a bottle.
Buy now £17.00, Ocado
Joseph Mellot Sancerre La Gravalière 2022
Best: Fruity Sancerre
- ABV: 13.5 per cent
- Year: 2022
If you like your wine full of fruit, this Sancerre from Joseph Mellot will make your heart (and mouth) sing. It’s made by a family-owned estate that dates back to the early 16th century and now produces wine in all the Central Loire Valley regions including Pouilly-Fume and Quincy.
A pale yellow in the glass, it’s produced using environmentally friendly techniques and natural fertilisers from grapes grown on largely siliceous soils and then fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks. Fresh but structured, it seriously impressed us with its bright fruitiness, a rush of lemons and apples on the palate and a hint of orange and passionfruit on the nose. Endlessly drinkable, it would be a dream on a summer’s day, perhaps paired with a bowl of salty oysters.
Buy now £19.63, Vinatis
Domaine Jean-Max Roger Cuvée Genèse Sancerre Rosé 2022
Best: Sancerre for summer drinking
- ABV: 12.5 per cent
- Year: 2022
If you’ve been put off rosé after a bad experience with a bright pink, over-sweet vino, park your prejudices and pour a glass of Sancerre’s version.
Beautifully pale pink but a few pounds cheaper than some of the trendiest Provencal pinks, this is the perfect French rosé for relaxed summer sipping. Direct pressing during vinification gives the wine its elegant fruity character and a refreshing lightness makes it a dream aperitif. A pop of red berries and apple, a hint of delicate blossom and a long finish means it will also perk up lightly spiced Asian dishes so there’s no need to wait until next summer to open another bottle.
Buy now £17.99, Majestic
Calvet Sancerre
Best: For pairing with fish dishes
- ABV: 12.5 per cent
- Year: 2020
Few things work as well with fish dishes as a cold glass of Sancerre. Keep a bottle of this in the fridge and you’ll always have the perfect pairing, whether you prefer grilled salmon and asparagus or even a heartier fish pie when it’s cold outside.
A lively wine with a fairly pronounced nose of lemon and white flowers, it’s a touch more powerful on the palate than some other Sancerre wines we tested so it can hold its own alongside stronger-tasting fish. Notes of flint and gooseberry add a richness that means this will cut through greasier dishes too – we reckon it would make the perfect night in alongside a plate of traditional fish and chips.
Buy now £21.50, Ocado
Sancerre Rosé, La Louèe, Domaine Sylvain Bailly
Best: Rosé Sancerre
- ABV: 13 per cent
- Year: 2023
Nothing says summer quite like a glass of something pink. This outstanding Sancerre rosé is the perfect example of why it’s worth seeking out wines from the region beyond the usual white.
Beautifully pink with elegant red berry flavours, it’s produced by husband and wife team Jacques and Marie-Hélène Bailly in vineyards around Bué in the appellation of Sancerre. These include a plot known as ‘Choix Marchand’, once the source of grapes that wine merchants would keep for themselves. These days, we’re all allowed to sample this prestigious vino and it’s a joy to drink, with delicate floral notes, a lifting acidity and a crisp finish. Just the thing for long afternoons doing nothing in the sunshine.
Buy now £18.99, Twelve Green Bottles Wine
Sancerre ‘Les Chailloux’, Francois et Jean-Marie Cherrier 2022
Best: Budget Sancerre
- ABV: 13.5 per cent
- Year: 2022
Historic vineyards, exceptional quality grapes and lower production yields can hike the price of even the most average Sancerre. So this sub-£17 bottle from The Wine Society is a real find.
Though still not cheap enough for most people to swig down on an average weekday, it’s well worth the small splurge to sip wine made in a Sancerre estate established in 1927. The 14 hectares of vineyards are now run by Jean-Marie and Francois Cherrier alongside their father Pierre. They use sustainable farming methods and hand harvest the grapes to ensure only the very best fruit is picked before stainless steel vinification preserves the crisp acidity and freshness. Nice and dry with a touch of creaminess, it has delicate smoky flavours and a tart lemon zing that would make it slip down a treat alongside a summer salad of crumbled feta and ripe tomatoes.
Buy now £16.50, The Wine Society
Domaine Michel Girard Sancerre Rouge 2022
Best: Red Sancerre
- ABV: 13.5 per cent
- Year: 2022
It’s so difficult to get your hands on a red Sancerre that most people don’t even realise they exist. Virgin Wines have come up trumps with this example from winemaker Philippe Giraud, who they claim they visited personally to beg him to share his exclusive red.
More delicate than you might expect, this 100 per cent Pinot Noir is hand-harvested and fermented in stainless steel vats, while the harvest is reduced to the bare minimum to ensure only the best quality grapes are grown. It has all the boldness of a good red with a flood of red and black fruit flavours, but is a touch lighter and more refreshing than more full-bodied vino. Happily, that makes it one of those rare wines that will suit both roast chicken and beef on the Sunday lunch table. Move fast and grab one before it’s gone.
Buy now £19.99, Virgin Wines
Andre Neveu Sancerre ‘Les Longues Fins’
Best: Luxury Sancerre
- ABV: 12.5 per cent
- Year: 2022
Opening a bottle of Sancerre is always a treat, but this one has the added wow factor. This single vineyard wine is made by the Neveu family, who have been producing wine in the heart of the Chavignol vineyards for generations. Andre Neveu’s daughter, Valerie, now runs the 13-hectare estate with her husband Thomas and the couple harvest, vinify and sell everything themselves, producing white, rosé and red Sancerre.
The wine is astonishingly easy to drink with plenty of punchy flavours to set it apart from a bog-standard white. Well-balanced and fruit-forward, it bursts with citrus aromas with additional grass, gooseberry and herb notes on the palate and a lovely complexity despite its lightness. Though be warned, the bracing acidity and long finish will leave you wanting more every time.
Buy now £22.99, The Wine Flyer
Tesco Finest Sancerre Rosé
Best: Budget Sancerre rosé
- ABV: 13 per cent
- Year: 2022
This rosé Sancerre from Tesco is an absolute steal so it’s well worth sticking one in your trolley next time you’re doing the big shop.
Clean and fruity with a pale salmon colour, it’s startlingly refreshing with flavours of ripe peaches, orange blossom, melon and a distinct rush of cherries on the palate. It’s beautifully dry with hints of herb and a long finish that makes it ideal as an aperitif or with any summery food. We reckon it would work a treat with a Thai curry but would also be a match made in heaven with a meringue piled high with strawberries and raspberries on a sunny day.
Buy now £15.00, Tesco
Morrisons The Best Sancerre
Best: Supermarket own-label Sancerre
- ABV: 12.5 per cent
- Year: 2021
We love everything about this own-label Sancerre from Morrisons. It’s made by Caves des Vins Sancerre, which was founded in 1963 when local growers teamed up to try to overcome the difficult economic conditions of the time. It’s still the only co-operative in the appellation and includes over one hundred growers working with various soils, making it the biggest – and perhaps most varied - producer of Sancerre wines.
This one is a great classic Sancerre. Produced from 30-year-old vines in predominantly limestone soil vineyards, it’s feather-light but just fruity enough, with pleasing melon flavours lifted by lip-smacking gooseberry. Stick a bottle (or two) in your basket and you won’t regret it.
Buy now £19.00, Morrisons
Domaine Roger Neveu Côte des Embouffants Sancerre
Best: Food-friendly Sancerre
- ABV: 13 per cent
- Year: 2022
Not sure what to bring to a dinner party? Present them with a bottle of this Sancerre and you’re almost guaranteed a hit.
It’s made by the Neveu family who have been producing wine in the Loire for more than four centuries so know a thing or two about good grapes. Côte des Embouffants was even mentioned by name in Abbot Poupart’s 1977 history of Sancerre when he described the hillside as one of the best in the region. The perfectly chalky soil means it’s still producing excellent quality Sauvignon Blanc grapes today and this one is bursting with fresh flavours of lime and green apple that will shine alongside most food. It’s a real dinner table dream.
Buy now £18.00, Majestic
Sancerre, Domaine Thierry Merlin-Cherrier 2022
Best: Sancerre for sushi
- ABV: 13 per cent
- Year: 2022
Sancerre may be one of the most famous wines in France but it doesn’t just work well with local dishes. This one from esteemed producer Domaine Thierry Merlin-Cherrier has all the minerality and sleek acidity to make it a perfect pairing with a flavour-packed platter of sushi.
It comes from the acclaimed sub-region of Bué in Sancerre in a winery now run by Thierry’s daughter Agathe, who took over from her eponymous father last year. Richer than some of the other Sancerres we tried, it has a wonderful structure, a clean texture and an unexpected tang of blackberries on the palate. In other words: we’re never reaching for the sake again.
Buy now £18.50, Majestic
Daniel Crochet Sancerre Blanc 2022
Best: Blow-the-budget Sancerre
- ABV: 13 per cent
- Year: 2022
If you’re smitten by Sancerre, you probably already know that even the cheapest bottle won’t leave you much change from £20. Splash even more cash and you could treat yourself to this outstanding wine that’s worth every (extra) penny.
Elegant and expressive, it’s produced by winemaker Daniel Crochet in a fourth-generation family Domaine covering nine hectares in Bué. The vineyards are known to produce top-notch grapes that make truly sophisticated wines and this one is a joy: well-balanced with wonderful structure and a lovely flintiness followed by a hit of perky lemon zest. A real show-stopping Sancerre, it shows exactly why wine from this region is so revered.
Buy now £29.99, Virgin Wines
Verdict
If you love dry, unoaked whites that work well with food, opt for any of these Sancerre wines and you’ll be in for a treat. However, Sancerre Domaine Chevreau is our top choice for its crisp fruity flavours, unexpectedly tropical notes and herbal undertones. When only rosé will do, it’s hard to beat the perfectly pink Sancerre Rosé, La Louèe, Domaine Sylvain Bailly which is more than a match for even the best-loved Provençal rosés.
