Comparison
Furmint vs Sauvignon Blanc
How Furmint and Sauvignon Blanc differ, dimension by dimension.
The short answer
The main differences: Sauvignon Blanc has more herbal / green character; Furmint has more sweetness; Sauvignon Blanc has more aromatic intensity.
Choose
Furmint
Choose Furmint if you want something sweeter, rounder and creamier in texture, fuller and richer.
Choose
Sauvignon Blanc
Choose Sauvignon Blanc if you want something more herbal and green, more aromatic.
Where they genuinely differ
Only differences large enough to notice in the glass are listed here. A gap of half a point on a five-point scale is noise, and WineHQ does not dress it up as a finding.
Herbal / green character
Clear differenceHerbs, grass, blackcurrant leaf, capsicum and other green notes, largely driven by methoxypyrazines and picking decisions.
Sauvignon Blanc is more herbal and green: medium-plus against low.
Sweetness
Clear differencePerceived sugar in the finished wine, driven mainly by residual sugar but modified by acidity, alcohol and fruit ripeness.
Furmint is sweeter: medium against low.
Aromatic intensity
Clear differenceHow strongly the wine smells before it is tasted. Some grapes are intrinsically aromatic; others express mainly on the palate.
Sauvignon Blanc is more aromatic: high against medium.
Texture
Clear differenceMouthfeel independent of weight — from lean and cutting through to creamy, waxy or velvety. Driven by lees contact, malolactic conversion, skin contact and ageing.
Furmint is rounder and creamier in texture: medium-plus against low-medium.
Body
Clear differenceThe overall weight and viscosity of the wine in the mouth — a composite of alcohol, sugar, extract and glycerol.
Furmint is fuller and richer: medium-plus against medium.
Oak influence
Clear differencePerceptible impact of barrel or alternative oak contact — vanilla, toast, coconut, smoke, cedar and added texture.
Furmint is more oaky: medium against low-medium.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Acidity: Similar — both high.
- Tannin: Similar — both low.
- Alcohol: Similar — both medium.
- Fruit intensity: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Earthy character: Similar — both low.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Furmint | Sauvignon Blanc |
|---|---|---|
| Herbal / green character | low (1/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Sweetness | typically medium, ranging from low to high (3/5) | typically low, ranging from low to low-medium (1/5) |
| Aromatic intensity | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Texture | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Body | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) |
| Oak influence | typically medium, ranging from low to medium-plus (3/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Savoury character | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Floral character | low (1/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Spice | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | low (1/5) |
| Acidity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Tannin | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Alcohol | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Earthy character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Serve at | 12–15°C | 9–12°C |
| Typical flavours | quince, green apple, lime, smoke, beeswax | gooseberry, grapefruit, passionfruit, cut grass, green bell pepper |
Values are typical points within each wine’s range. Both wines vary — see the individual pages for how much.
Read more
Grape
Furmint
Hungary’s great white variety: high in acid, smoky and structured, and the backbone of both dry Tokaji and Tokaji Aszú.
Grape
Sauvignon Blanc
A pungently aromatic variety whose character swings from flinty and restrained in the Loire to explosively tropical in Marlborough.
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