Chenin Blanc is a versatile white wine grape grown in the Loire Valley and other parts of the world, producing a range of styles from dry to sweet. Loire Valley Vouvray is a popular style, while South African Chenin Blanc tends to be lighter and less complex. California Chenin Blanc is mass-produced and often blended with Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. Chenin Blanc wines can age for over a decade and develop a full body and honey flavor.
Chenin Blanc is a versatile white wine grape grown throughout the Loire Valley of France and other parts of the world. It can produce wines in a wide range of styles, ranging from fairly dry white wines to some of the best sweet wines around.
Within the Loire Valley, wines made from Chenin Blanc are labeled with the Vouvray style. This wine is often referred to as a chameleon due to the many different body types it can possess. Vouvray tends toward sweet, with most working best as an apéritif or a lively pairing with a sweet dish. That’s not to say all that can be found from Chenin Blanc, even in the Loire Valley, however: There are numerous examples of drier whites made from this grape, as well as some fabulous sparkling wines.
Chenin Blanc is one of those white grape varieties that seem to create wines that are built to last forever. While many Chenin Blanc wines are pretty uninspired, they contend at best for the best of any variety. Most of the best Chenin Blanc wines start young, with a level of acidity that belies the sweetness waiting to mature; as these wines age, they develop a full body and honey that is unmatched by almost any other wine. A good Chenin Blanc can keep getting better for over a decade and can feel like it lasts forever.
Seldom do you see such a drastic difference in character between growing regions as in Chenin Blanc. Comparing Loire Valley wines to those using the Chenin Blanc grape in other parts of the world is often like comparing two entirely different grapes. Chenin Blanc is the most widely grown grape in all of South Africa, a nation known for its wine production and produces some admirable wines in that country. Unlike Chenin Blancs from the Loire Valley, those from South Africa don’t tend to be built to have the same intricacies of character or to last for long. In general, they are slightly more acidic and lighter wines, but still immensely drinkable.
In California, wines made from Chenin Blanc tend to be mass-produced for general consumption and, as such, are considerably more neutral in tone and character than Loire Valley Vouvrays. Much of this has to do with the amount of yield the vines are pushed to, with California’s Chenin Blanc producing many times the grapes of those from the Loire Valley. It is rare for Chenin Blanc to be blended with any other grape, especially in its sweeter incarnations. When paired with another grape, however, it tends to be combined with Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, both of which complement Chenin Blanc’s acidity.
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