The 2002 vintage for the white wines of the Loire Valley is spectacular. Sancerre, Pouilly Fume and Vouvray are all delicious white wines from this region. Sancerre has long been one of my favorite whites. It is 100% sauvignon blanc. Sancerres are known to be clean, fresh, acidic wines, without that oakiness you find in a chardonnay. You taste layers of slate, minerals, grass, and sometimes citrus fruits. Sancerres are very refreshing, and an excellent complement to seafood, especially shellfish. Two Sancerres I like are: Les Coutes by Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy and Domaine du Carroir Perrin by Pierre Riffault. Vouvray is composed entirely of the Chenin Blanc grape, which if done well, is superb. It is also a very acidic wine, but typically a bit sweeter and more fruity than a Sancerre. I recently drank a Vouvray by Francois Pinon that was superb. This wine had layers of apricot, pear, melon and honey; but was perfectly balanced due to the high acidity. If you have never tried a good Vouvray, now is the time to try a bottle. Although these wines can certainly be cellared for years due to their high acidity levels, I prefer them young and fresh and would drink them this spring and summer. The above wines I suggested are excellent, yet there are many superb Sancerres and Vouvrays in this 2002 vintage. Try a few this spring.