Chenin Shenanigans

17 June 2022 - Justin Sims

On Saturday 18th June we celebrate ‘Drink Chenin Blanc Day’, but how much do you really know about this dark horse of a grape? It’s long been revered by wine aficionados & has quietly sat below the radar, but times they are a changin’ & now is as good a time as any to find out why.

South Africa leading the way

Chenin Blanc’s recent transformation from ubiquitous South African table wine to terroir-driven blockbuster can be likened to the fabled ugly duckling to the beautiful swan. There’s a real pride among South African winemakers when they talk about their heritage grape varieties, of which Chenin is one of the hottest at the moment.

It was one of the first varieties to arrive on the Cape in the mid 1600s, courtesy of the Dutch East India Company, & was planted out on the first early wine farms. Being a high-yielding variety with naturally high acidity, Chenin took hold fast & by the early 1900s, it became the base for brandy distillation.

By the 1950s, South African brandy was as popular as the national rugby team, but the taste for the hard liquor started to wane in favour of table wines. Step forward again Chenin (aka Steen), which could turn out serious volumes of dop with more throwback than a bunch of Wick’s bubble gum sticks!

It’s only in the past 15 to 20 years that Chenin has gone through its metamorphosis thanks to a new generation of conscientious winemakers who are more interested in terroir, the regeneration of old forgotten vineyards & low intervention winemaking than high yields & kitsch branding.

Chenin isn’t just any old grape variety

Chenin actually has its roots in the central Loire valley of France, around Anjou, with the earliest references to the grape being made more than a thousand years ago. The cooler climate & effects of the river Loire, especially around Vouvray, Coteaux du Layon & Bonnezeaux, have helped to shape the many different guises that Chenin assumes.

As versatile as Riesling, it makes everything from deliciously-crisp sparkling Crémant to bone dry tang-fests & from off-dry, textural fruit bombs to lusciously sweet nectar. The breadth of styles in the Cape are no less diverse & there are some really classy examples from the barrel-fermented camp & the ‘natural wine’ camp too.

Like good German Riesling, Chenins are famed for their ability to age & develop for decades, especially the sweeter wines, & it’s largely thanks to that mouth-watering acidity.

Chenin’s not just a loner

In most other New World countries where it’s grown, be it NZ, Oz, Argentina or the US, Chenin is mostly viewed as a ‘grunt work’ variety because of its high yield, neutral flavour & whack of acidity & makes an ideal variety to pair up & boost lower acid varietals.

Chardonnay and/or Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon & Viognier are the ones most-often found blended with Chenin. This same blending theory also applies back in the Loire, especially for Crémant & glugging Vin de Pays.

Winemaker’s particularly like Chenin’s ability to absorb whatever you expose it to, be it the native flora around the vineyards, the creamy texture of lees work or the subtle notes from careful barrel-ageing. This is especially prevalent in South Africa where ‘Cape White blends’ are all the rage. They cover everything from everyday quaffing to gastronomic pairing, especially when hand-crafted from ancient vines & treated to a barrel makeover.

Does this now whet your appetite? View our range of Chenin Blac here