With spring having just arrived, We thought it fitting to find a wine to celebrate the season. We wanted a wine that would reflect this time of year's crisp breezes, green lawns, budding flowers, and sunny days as well as its rainy ones.

The first wine that came to mind for this feature was Sauvignon Blanc. This dry, crisp wine with its characteristic herbaceous, grassy nose was perfect. Its colors that range from faint chartreuse to pale straw to light brass intimate the season's palate. Its flavors of citrus, vanilla, and melon can complement almost any spring menu.

Sauvignon Blanc is grown in many wine areas of the world. Interestingly, its grassy, herbaceous, and crisp characteristics are almost always present regardless of where it is grown. In France, we find the grape in the aromatic and fresh Sancerres and Pouilly Fumes of the Loire Valley. Pouilly-Fume is the firmer, drier and more elegant of the two and Sancerre is a little more fruity. It's also grown in Bordeaux, where it is often blended with Semillon. Here, the grape is used to produce the more austere, dry Graves and Entre-Deux-Mers as well as the flamboyant, decadent sweet Sauternes.

In Italy, Sauvignon Blanc can be found at its best in the Northeast's Alto Adigio, Friuli, and Veneto. These Sauvignons share the grassy and herbaceous characteristics of their French counterparts and are quite quaffable.

Sauvignon Blanc is also popular among California wine makers, who often produce it under the name Fume Blanc. This alias was first used by Mondavi as a marketing tactic. Perhaps they thought it would have more appeal or would be easier to pronounce. Again, the California versions are quite similar to those produced in Europe--crisp, dry, and herbaceous, except that occasionally a little oak is introduced. This may be an influence from Bordeaux.

New Zealand is also a major producer of Sauvignon Blanc. Here the wine often tends to have undertones of tropical fruitÑespecially when made in Marlborough. The best example of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is Cloudy Bay, but it can be a little pricey.

In South America, Chile is also becoming known for its Sauvignon Blanc, especially from the Casablanca Valley. Here, as almost everywhere else, the wine is crisp and herbaceous, and quite often has a good acidity.

Sauvignon Blanc provides the perfect accompaniment for seafood, poultry and white meats. It also makes an excellent apŽritif as well as a nice sipping wine for a lazy spring afternoon. When buying, look for recent vintages. Sauvignon Blanc typically does not improve with age. Because of its acidity, the wine should be served cold between 45¡ and 50¡ to be enjoyed at its best. To reach this temperature, give it about two hours in the refrigerator.

When tasting Sauvignon Blanc, look for a pale straw or brass color maybe with some hints of green. The nose should be full, with herbaceous, grassy, gooseberry aromas sometimes accompanied by vanilla, or tropical fruits. On the palate, expect refreshing flavors of citrus and herbs along with good acidity. If well made, the wine should also have a good finish. Even in its most elegant incarnation, Pouilly-Fume, this "wild" wine should not be wimpy.