Chenin Blanc: Classic Wine or Cask Filler?

Chenin blanc is a highly revered white variety from the central regions of the Loire Valley where it is used to make sweet, semi-sweet and dry white wines and also sparkling wine.

Grapes and Chenin Blanc

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Honey, mineral, bees wax, wet wool...

These are some of the descriptors used in the Wine Grape Varietal Table to describe this variety.

It is grown extensively in Western Australia where it has formed the basis of the popular Houghton's White Burgundy. Along with Semillon and Sauvignon blanc, and sometimes Chardonnay, Chenin blanc has been a component of the WA Classic Dry White style.

The famous Loire Valley wines of Vouvray are made from Chenin blanc. The variety is also used for making wines under the appellations of Montlois, Savennieres and Saumur, to name just a few.

Chenin blanc is over cropped and undervalued almost everywhere else in the world, but some attention is at last being paid to its potential to produce quality wine when given due respect. For many years the variety was the mainstay of the South African wine industry. This is largely due to the ability to produce large crops in warm conditions.

Most Australian plantings are in Western Australia, but Chenin is present in most Australian regions. It is probable that the WA propensity for using the variety is a result of importation of vines from South Africa in the 19th Century. Around Perth the variety has historically played a role similar to that it plays in South Africa, producing wines of no great character. The variety is reasonably popular in Margaret River where growers and winemakers have more of an eye for quality.

Elsewhere in Australia the variety plays a minor role in a number of regions, but it is fair to say the Australia has yet to produce a great Chenin blanc. The possible exception being a one-off late harvest wine produced by St Leonards in the late 1970s. I recently tried a dry Chenin from the same maker and found it excellent.

Vinodversity reader Bob Mutton included a Cahnin blanc in his top wines of 2008 You can check out his comment and the discussion which ensued.

Australian Chenin blanc producers

Of the hundred wineries producing Chenin blanc wines well over half are in WA

Food pairings with Chenin Blanc

You can pair a wide range of foods with Chenin blanc. The softer styles could be used with spicy Asian cuisine or even with deserts, particularly those based on apples or pears.

Drier, cripser minerally chenins could enhance grilled or fried seafooods, chicken with creamy sauce, or perhaps grilled pork chops with lightly fried apple slices.

You will find up to date news about Chenin blanc in the Vinodiversity Newsletter

Wine Makers Choice often have Chenin Blanc for sale