Our take
Kim Crawford Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc White Wine
- Style
- White wine
- Size
- 750 ml
- Grape
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Shelf barcode
- 0689352010082
Our take
What we make of this bottle
Kim Crawford makes Illuminate lighter with a machine called a spinning cone. By the producer's description, about 60 percent of the wine runs through it, a distillation under low vacuum that strips out most of the alcohol, and the untouched, full-strength wine then goes back into the blend. Whether the base wine matches any other Kim Crawford bottling, the description does not say.
Underneath the process it is still the same grape. Official regional guides describe Sauvignon Blanc with citrus, green herbs and gooseberry, carried on refreshing acidity, and add that cooler sites can emphasize the green and citrus side.
Shoppers have rated Illuminate 629 times, among the most rated wines in our catalog, and the average is 4.66; the median for all the wines we rate is 4.71, and this bottle comes in beneath it. On August 10 and 11, 2026, we logged prices at eight stores, from $14.99 up to $21.99.
What Kim Crawford claims for the result is a number: the finished wine is 7 percent alcohol, roughly half of what a standard Sauvignon Blanc carries.
Kim Crawford's producer page adds detail on where that base wine comes from: the grapes are harvested block by block from Marlborough vineyards, then field destemmed and gently pressed, with each parcel fermented and handled separately to keep its regional character distinct before blending. The 2023 vintage of this wine won a Double Gold medal at the 2024 New York International Wine Competition, the producer's own credential for the bottle.
Our call: made for the shopper cutting alcohol on purpose, since Kim Crawford describes stripping most of the alcohol from part of the batch and blending full-strength Marlborough wine back in, finishing near half the strength of a standard Sauvignon Blanc, backed by a Double Gold medal at the 2024 New York International Wine Competition and one of the larger rating pools we track. Pass if lower alcohol is not the draw; judged on score alone this trails the middle of the rated wines we cover, a trade that only makes sense if the lighter strength is the point.
The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Aug 17, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.
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Read our take →The prices we checked
Dated store checks, not a promise about your store.
- Kroger, Atlanta suburbs, GA$18.49
- Kroger, Cincinnati, OH$16.99
- Ralphs, Long Beach, CA$21.99
- King Soopers, Colorado Springs, CO$14.99
- Kroger, Knoxville, TN$16.99
- Kroger, Richmond, VA$15.99
- Fry's, Tucson, AZ$14.99
- QFC, Tacoma, WA$19.99
The regular price can vary by store and date.
From the producer
What makes it lighter
Kim Crawford makes Illuminate lighter with spinning cone technology, a low vacuum distillation that removes most of the alcohol from about 60 percent of the wine before full-strength wine is blended back in, finishing at 7 percent alcohol, roughly half a standard Sauvignon Blanc.
Research status
What we are still checking
Our overview above draws on the dated store feed, shopper ratings, our region and grape research, and any sourced producer facts. We are still working to confirm the current release, the full producer record, and the bottle itself, and we update this page as we learn more.
Getting to know Sauvignon Blanc.
Sauvignon Blanc is a white grape known for wines with clear aroma and refreshing acidity. It is usually made as a dry still wine, though sweetness and oak use vary.
Category guide
What to expect in the glass
Official regional guides describe citrus, green herbs, gooseberry and tropical fruit across the category. Cooler sites can emphasize green and citrus notes, while warmer or riper fruit can lean more tropical.
Sources: New Zealand Winegrowers; Napa Valley Vintners. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 83 Sauvignon Blanc wines we cover →
Where this information comes from
- Store listing
- Price, package, product identifier, and shopper rating. Checked Aug 10, 2026.
- Barcode
- The shelf barcode shown here is computed from the store product identifier. It has not been checked against a bottle.
- Method
- Every price, rating and fact here is a dated observation. How we check.