A Concise Guide To Chenin Blanc
By Dominic Donaldson
White wine is a hugely popular tipple in the UK and makes for pleasant drinking either on its own or as an accompaniment with food. Some of the most popular and readily-available wines is Chenin Blanc.
Chenin blanc is a variety of white grape native to the Loire Valley in France. It is also known as Pineau de la Loire and Gout fort and is one of the most versatile off all wine grapes because it produces light sparkling wines, crisp and dry table wines, sweet desert wines as well as brandy.
The sweet desert wines produced from the grape are highly regarding for their excellent ageing ability, and its ability to produce high quality wines from dry to sweet have brought comparisons with German Rieslings, with some experts calling it France”s answer to Riesling.
Although the grape is native to the Loire Valley, it is planted all over the world in New World wine-producing areas including Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil and is known as Pinot Blanco in these countries.
In South Africa, almost a third of the vines planted are this grape, and it is sometimes known as steen in this country. It is California”s third most widely-planted white grape, and it is widely planted in both Australia and New Zealand.
Chenin Blanc viticulture demands a high level of care, especially regarding the timing of the harvest. Wine expert Oz Clarke has declared in the past that if the grapes are harvested too soon, the high acidity will make the resulting wine ”one of the nastiest wines possible”.
Flavours
The flavours of this wine are often describes as having hints of minerality, honey and greengage. As these flavours age, they take on notes of marzipan, barley sugar and quince. The New World varieties are generally produced to be consumed young, and these have notes of tropical fruit like guava, pear, banana and pineapple.
Chenin Blanc is probably one of the best-known varieties of white wine in the UK, along with Chardonnay. As with all alcohol, do be careful to consume the wine responsibly and stay within the recommended unit intake which is 2-3 units each day for a woman and 3-4 units each day for a man. Saying this however, around ten million people in the UK drink more than this recommended intake, and so if you”re having a particularly good evening with some particularly great wine, it won”t hurt to occasionally go over this amount every now and then.
About The Author
Dominic Donaldson is a wine expert. Find out more about Chenin Blanc and the great wines available.
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