Chenin Blanc is a white
grape whose origin is the Loire Valley in France. Pronounced (shen in
blahnk), this
grape tends to be considered one of the most versatile varieties, since it can
be used to produce table wines, sparkling wines, dessert wines, and even
brandy, while all using entirely or predominantly Chenin Blanc grapes. Its
versatility comes from its high acidity. You most definitely can’t say that
about most all other grape varieties. While its origin in the Loire Valley,
where it is sometimes referred to as Pineau de la Loire, there is much less of it planted there than in
other countries around the world. Chenin Blanc is extremely popular in
countries such as Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Argentina,
where there are over 10,000 acres of these vines. In South Africa, it is the
main grape taking up over twenty percent of all the vines planted there. It
seems to be quite popular in the United States as well, being the third most popular
white grape planted in California.
Chenin
Blanc can vary from one extreme to the other taste wise. It can be dry, semi
dry, sweet and sparkling, or even a dessert wine. But, despite the wide array
of styles, it always seems to have floral and honey tones along with a
refreshing amount of acidity. Depending on the region it’s from, it has also
been known to produce flavors such as apple, melon, lime, and pear, and
sometimes hints of vanilla. These wines tend to pair very well with salads,
seafood and white meats, sushi, and mild to spicy rice dishes.
This
grape tends to bud early in the growing season and then ripen late, making it
ideal for warmer climates unlike the Loire Valley. Like in my previous varietal
report on Semillon, noble rot is very much a factor in how a Chenin Blanc
varietal can taste by intensifying certain flavors. It is very crucial to
harvest the grapes at the right time with this variety. Harvesting them too
soon will result in very high acidity and, according to wine expert Oz Clarke,
“one of the nastiest wines possible.” If harvested too late, they will not
retain any of their known characteristics and make them seem very bland with
not much of any flavor.
California,
another well known region for this varietal, with over 5,300 hectares planted
throughout the state, tends to have high yields when compared to those produced
in the Loire Valley. Similar to how California uses its Semillon, Chenin Blanc
is primarily used as a mixing or blending grape, and seems to stand in the
shadow of California’s big name wines like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The
other main region producing mass quantities of this grape is South Africa. This
region is similar to California, whereas the number of plantings continues to
increase even though these grapes are not nearly as popular as they are in the
Loire Valley region. This region has some titanic numbers of plantings though
compared to California. It more than triples those in California, with well
over 18,000 hectares of Chenin Blanc! The climate in this area helps this grape
out profoundly, hence why there are so many plantings country wide.
Going
along with this varietal report, I wanted to taste this particular varietal as
well. This was far easier to find than my previous varietal of Semillon, and I
was able to come up with a Chenin Blanc from Argentina for a very nice price. If
I were to suggest a dish with this white it would probably be a seafood or
white meat dish, as these fruitier whites tend to always go nicely with chicken
or seafood. I particularly enjoy whites with scallops. This varietal would go
great with any of these because of its high acidity working well with the
dryness of the white meats, while also giving it a little boost of flavor. Ever
had apples with grilled chicken? It does pretty much exactly the same thing most
white wines do when paired with it. Adds that perfect little kick of fruit.
It’s truly a great combination and is one of the classics. Always a go to. Now,
just to be clear, I am only recommending this pairing for the specific bottle
of Chenin Blanc varietal that I bought, since it going to be one of the
fruitier semi sweet varieties. Since Chenin Blanc can be produced into so many
different wines I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it when it’s made as a super
dry wine or as a dessert wine. A sparkling wine would be great with my
recommendation as well though. I could see a sparkling Chenin Blanc taste very
much like a champagne which pairs extremely well with just about anything.
Let’s get on to the tasting. This is the wine:
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Name:
Aconga
Chenin Blanc
Variety:
80%
Chenin Blanc, 20% Chardonnay
Region:
Mendoza
Country:
Argentina
Year:
2011
Price:
$3.99
Now
for the tasting. The wine is a very nice golden yellow, pretty bright compared
to a lot of whites, with maybe just a slight tinge of green.
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Sources:
*Note to the TA's, I forgot to list the sources for my previous Varietal report on Semillon, so I will list them here:
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