Sara's Wine Blog: Grape Variety Report

Chenin Blanc is a white wine grape variety. It is known for its high acidity and aging potential. It is a very versatile grape. Chenin Blanc is most commonly associated with the Loire Valley, and has been cultivated in France for nearly 1300 years.

Chenin Blanc is first mentioned in official French documents dated back to 845 AD. Although, renewed interested occurred in the 1980s for this grape and since there it has become more known as a classic and noble grape variety.

Chenin Blanc is used all over the world, notably in France, South Africa, and the United States. It is also used in Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, and others. France uses 58.85%, South Africa 28.32%, United States 9.29%, Australia 1.71%, New Zealand .6%, Israel .25%, and other countries account for .76%.

Where Chenin Blanc is used

South Africa is the largest grower and producer of Chenin Blanc. Furthermore, it is the nation’s most planted wine grape! The grape was introduced to South Africa in the mid-17^th century, and was immediately popular for its productivity and its ability to generate high acidity, even in hot conditions.

California grows more Chenin Blanc than all of France, but most of the grapes grown there are used in generic white blends. Argentina also has a significant number of Chenin Blanc vines, but is often blended with Chardonnay or Torrontes to create acidic white wines, but these wines typically lack distinction.

Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Israel all produce a small amount of Chenin Blanc wines, with New Zealand and Canada showing particular promise with this variety. Furthermore, there are a few places in Latin America that grow Chenin Blanc, and there the grape is known as “Pinot Blanco”.

Early on Chenin Blanc was used to create a base spirit for the brandy trade, and for much of its viticulture career thereafter it was consigned to bulk wine production, often blended with other white varieties.

Chenin Blanc is a very versatile grape because it can be crafted to any level of sweetness, ranging from bone-dry, crisp and sparking, to sweet desert wines. This can be done due to the number of winemaking techniques and styles that can be used in Chenin Blanc production. Such techniques include stainless steel, extended lees contact, and barrel maturation. Stainless steel means using stainless steel barrels to mature grapes. Extended lees contact is when the wine is in contact with the solid particles settled at the bottom of a tank/barrel after alcoholic fermentation for a longer period of time. The famous Muscadet sur Lie from the Loire Valley in France and New World Chardonnays are also matured with lees contact. Barrel maturation is simply leaving the wine in a specific type of barrel (whether it be stainless steel, oak, or any other type of wood) for a specific period of time.

Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley tend have a more mineral flavor, while highly regarded wines from Stellenbosch lean more towards tropical fruit flavors, like pineapple, melon, guava, and banana. Stellenbosch is a wine-producing district in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

The growing of Chenin Blanc can result in very high yields, resulting in abrasive, acidic juice that is unsuitable for winemaking.

Chenin Blanc growing on vine

Lower yields allow Chenin’s flavors to concentrate and its floral bouquet to come through. Like other white grapes, this variety has a thin skin. This variety buds early and ripens late, while retaining naturally high acidity, has a high resistance to many diseases, and has a lot of vine vigor. Due to all of these characteristics, it is suited to grow in climates otherwise too warm for many vinifera types. The vine grows well in many soil types, but can be very vigorous in either sandy loam or clay loam. Generally, Chenin Blanc can be expected to yield five to eight tons per acre. At three to four years old, the vines tend to overproduce and may set crops too large to fully ripen in cooler areas. Due to all of these characteristics, Chenin Blanc grapes are susceptible to both bunch rot and sun burn.

Since 1997 there has been a sharp decrease in the plantings of Chenin Blanc, with re-establishment being far below what it should be. For example, only 177 hectares of Chenin Blanc were planted in 2001.

In the Loire Valley, French regulations mandate that yields be kept to 40-50 hl/ha (hectoliter per hectare). In California, Chenin Blanc can average 175 hl/ha. In fertile soils in parts of South Africa, Chenin Blanc can produce yields of 240 hl/ha.

Chenin Blanc has a wide variety of aromas and flavors. It can be described as floral, fruity, aggressive, and herbal. Usual descriptors of the variety of the grape include honey, honeysuckle, quince, melon, (especially Honeydew and cantaloupe), iodine, “gym socks”, grass, and hay. How you process the grape can also affect its bouquet and flavors. Depending on how you process the grape, it can have a mineral descriptor, including flint and smoke. On the other hand, using light oak, which is atypical, gives it a vanilla, sweet wood, and oaky flavor/bouquet. Heavy oak is very atypical and rarely used. No matter how you chose to process the grape, it is meant to be drunk early on.

Food matches for sweet Chenin Blancs include tarte tatin, sticky rice with mango, and lemon meringue pie. Cancale oysters go well with dry still and sparking Chenin Blancs. Off-dry Chenin Blancs pair well with caramelized barbecued pork patties, tacos of slow-roasted marinated suckling pig, and whole-roasted flounder. Dry Chenin Blanc goes well with parmesan gratinated scallops, whole-roasted flounder as well and salt-cured Tasmanian ocean trout.