Chenin blanc (, ; known also as Pineau de la Loire among other names) is a white

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...

from the Loire Valley of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Its high

acidity An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid. The first category of acids are the ...

means it can be used to make varieties from

sparkling wine Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne ( ...

s to well-balanced

dessert wine Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a mea ...

s, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled. Outside the Loire, it is found in most of the

New World wine New World wines are those wines produced outside the traditional winegrowing areas of Europe and the Middle East, in particular from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan (primarily Tokachi), Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the ...

regions; it is the most widely planted variety in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, where it was historically also known as Steen ( ). The grape may have been one of the first to be grown in South Africa by

Jan van Riebeeck Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck (21 April 1619 – 18 January 1677) was a Dutch navigator, ambassador and colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company. Life Early life Jan van Riebeeck was born in Culemborg on 21 April ...

in 1655, or it may have come to that country with

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

fleeing France after the revocation of the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

in 1685. Chenin blanc was often misidentified in Australia, as well, so tracing its early history in the country is not easy. It may have been introduced in James Busby's collection of 1832, but C. Waterhouse was growing Steen at Highercombe in

Houghton, South Australia Houghton is a small town near Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Hills, in the City of Tea Tree Gully and the Adelaide Hills Council local government areas between Tea Tree Gully, South Australia, Tea Tree Gully and Inglewo ...

, by 1862. It provides a fairly neutral palate for the expression of ''

terroir (; ; from ''terre'', ) is a French language, French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, th ...

'',

vintage In winemaking, vintage is the process of picking grapes to create wine. A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine ...

variation, and the

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to de ...

's treatment.Oz Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 75-83 Harcourt Books 2001 In cool areas, the juice is sweet but high in acid with a full-bodied, fruity palate. In the unreliable summers of northern France, the acidity of under-ripened grapes was often masked with

chaptalization Chaptalization is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape must in order to increase the alcohol content after fermentation. The technique is named after its developer, the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal. This process is not i ...

with unsatisfactory results, whereas now, the less-ripened grapes are made into popular sparkling wines such as Crémant de Loire. The white wines of the Anjou AOC are a popular expression of Chenin as a dry wine, with flavors of

quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which contains apples, pears, and other fruits) of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright golden-yel ...

and apples. In nearby Vouvray AOC, vintners aim for an off-dry style, developing honey and floral characteristics with age. In the best vintages, the grapes can be left on the vines to develop

noble rot Noble rot (; ; ; ) is the beneficial form of a grey fungus, ''Botrytis cinerea'', affecting wine grapes. Infestation by ''Botrytis'' requires warm and humid conditions, typically around 20 degrees Celsius and above 80% humidity. If the weather ...

, producing an intense, viscous dessert wine, which may improve considerably with

age Age or AGE may refer to: Time and its effects * Age, the amount of time someone has been alive or something has existed ** East Asian age reckoning, an Asian system of marking age starting at 1 * Ageing or aging, the process of becoming older ...

History

French ampelographer Pierre Galet has theorized that Chenin blanc originated in the

Anjou wine Anjou wine is produced in the Loire Valley wine region of France near the city of Angers. The wines of region are often grouped together with the wines of nearby Saumur as "Anjou-Saumur". Along with the wines produced further east in Touraine, A ...

region sometime in the 9th century, and from there traveled to

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...

by at least the 15th century. The grape may have been the variety described in two royal land grants of

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

in 845 detailed in the records of the abbey of Glanfeuil as growing on the left bank of the Loire River in vineyards belonging to individuals with the name of Soulangé and Bessé.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 82, 236-238 Allen Lane 2012 When Thomas Bohier purchased vineyard land around Chenonceaux on January 3, 1496, several grape varieties were brought in from the

Burgundy wine Burgundy wine ( or ') is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here, and those commonly referred to as "Burgundies", are dry (wine), ...

region of

Beaune Beaune (; in Burgundian: ''Beane'') is widely considered to be the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and a major ...

, the

Jura wine Jura wine is French wine produced in the Jura '' département''. Located between Burgundy and Switzerland, this cool climate wine region produces wines with some similarity to Burgundy and Swiss wine. Jura wines are distinctive and unusual wi ...

region of

Arbois Arbois () is a Commune in France, commune in the Jura (département), Jura Departments of France, department, in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region, eastern France. The river Cuisance passes through the town, which centres o ...

and nearby

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and Anjou. One of these varieties, a white grape known as ''Plant d'Anjou'', was later planted between 1520 and 1535 at a nearby site known as Mont Chenin in Touraine by the Lord of Château de Chenonceau and his brother-in-law, Denis Briçonnet, the abbot of Cormery. Ampelographers believe that ''Plant d'Anjou'' was like Chenin blanc, with the grape eventually taking on the name from Mont Chenin. French writer

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , ; ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A Renaissance humanism, humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholars in the Renaissance, Gr ...

(1494–1553) wrote glowingly about the white wines of Anjou, and mentions the medicinal qualities of the grapes at the end of chapter XXV of ''

Gargantua ''La vie tres horrifique du grand Gargantua, père de Pantagruel jadis composée par M. Alcofribas abstracteur de quinte essence. Livre plein de Pantagruelisme'' according to 's 1542 edition, or simply Gargantua, is the second novel by François ...

'':

This done, the shepherds and shepherdesses made merry with these cakes and fine grapes, and sported themselves together at the sound of the pretty small pipe, scoffing and laughing at those vainglorious cake-bakers, who had that day met with a mischief for want of crossing themselves with a good hand in the morning. Nor did they forget to apply to Forgier's leg ''some fat chenin grapes'', and so handsomely dressed it and bound it up that he was quickly cured.Translation based on that of Gustave Doré (1894) a
Project Gutenberg
of the following French :Ce faict, et bergiers et bergieres feirent chere lye avecques ces fouaces et beaulx raisins, et se rigollerent ensemble au son de la belle bouzine, se mocquans de ces beaulx fouaciers glorieux, qui avoient trouvé male encontre par faulte de s'estre seignez de la bonne main au matin, et avec gros raisins chenins estuverent les jambes de Forgier mignonnement, si bien qu'il feut tantost guery.

From France, the grape spread to

, where it was most likely included among the vine cuttings sent to Jan van Riebeeck in the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

by the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

. In the 20th century, a subvariety of Chenin planted in the Loire was found to be not actually Chenin blanc at all, but rather the Portuguese grape Verdelho, which is banned from French AOC regulations in the Loire.

Relationship to other grapes

In 1999,

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

showed that Chenin blanc has a parent-offspring relationship with the Jura wine grape Savagnin. Additional DNA evidence shows that Chenin blanc shares a sibling relationship with Trousseau and

Sauvignon blanc Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...

(both grapes the likely offspring of Savagnin), which strongly suggests that Chenin blanc is the offspring and Savagnin is the parent variety. Through Chenin's half-sibling relationship with Sauvignon blanc, the grape is related as an aunt/uncle variety to the

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine (; ) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city, the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gi ...

grape

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

which is the offspring of

and

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

. Other DNA research has shown that a crossing of Chenin and the Hunnic grape

Gouais blanc Gouais blanc () or Weißer Heunisch () is a white grape variety that is seldom grown today but is important as the ancestor of many traditional French and German grape varieties. The name ''Gouais'' derives from the old French adjective ‘ ...

produced several varieties including Balzac blanc,

Colombard Colombard (also known as French Colombard in North America) is a white French wine grape variety that may be the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier-Saint-François and the nearl ...

and Meslier-Saint-François. In South Africa, the grape was crossed with the

Italian wine Italian wine () is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, as well as the List of wine-producing regions#Countries, world's ...

grape

Trebbiano Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...

to produce Weldra and Chenel. Over the years, Chenin blanc has also been frequently confused with other grape varieties with which it does not seem to have a close genetic relationship. This includes the

Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans (wine), Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gallaecia-Lusitania times, the native peoples only drank beer ...

grape Verdelho grown on the island of

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

Machupiclait and in the

Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...

, as well as the

Spanish wine Spanish wine ( or ) includes red wine, red, white wine, white, and sparkling wine, sparkling wines produced throughout the country. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over planted in wine grapes, making it the most widely planted wine- ...

grape Albillo, which was confused for Chenin blanc in Australia.

Viticulture

The Chenin blanc

grapevine ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, bot ...

buds In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or Plant embryogenesis, embryonic Shoot (botany), shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a Plant stem, stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormancy, dormant conditi ...

early in the

growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whi ...

and ripens midway to late in the

harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

year. However, in warm years, the balance between the Loire's marginal climate and the warmth needed to attain full ripeness has the potential of producing wines with some depth of complexity and finesse. The age of the vine can have an influence on wine quality, with older vines producing naturally lower yields. When infected by

, which also lowers yields and adds and intensifies certain flavors, the wines develop less overtly floral aroma notes, but more depth and layers. New clonal varieties have been developed that delay budding and increase

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

development during the ripening phase. Six of these new clones have been officially sanctioned by the French government. The vine is semi-upright in habit with three- to five-lobed leaves. It tends to break bud early, with conical, winged bunches containing yellow-green grapes that ripen late. The berries are typically 16.0 mm long x 14.2 mm wide, with an average weight of 1.79 g. The climate of a wine region largely dictates whether Chenin blanc is produced in a predominantly sweet or dry manner, while the vineyard soil type generally influences the overall style of the wine. Heavy

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

-based soils, paired with the right climate, are favorable to the development of weighty, botrytized dessert wines that need time to age and mature. Well-drained and less organic, predominantly

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

y soils tend to produce lighter styles of wine that mature more quickly. Chenin blanc planted in soils with a high silex content produce wines with distinctive minerally notes, while

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

-based soils encourage wines with sharp acidity. In Vouvray, the soil is predominantly ''argilo-calcaire'' or calcareous clay, which produces rounded wines with both acidity and weight. In areas where

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

is plentiful in the soil, Chenin blanc grapes generally ripen earlier than in vineyards with predominantly clay-based soils. Among the

viticultural hazards This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.). Bacterial diseases Fungal diseases Miscellaneous diseases and disorders Nematodes, parasitic Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases See also *''Ampeloglypter ater'' *''Ampe ...

to which Chenin is susceptible (apart from botrytis in less than ideal conditions) are damage from spring frost,

powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungus, fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of Ascomycota, ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant disea ...

, and fungal disease (such as dead arm of grapevine) that affect the wood structures of the grape vine. Some of these hazards can be managed with

integrated pest management Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) integrates both chemical and non-chemical practices for economic control of pests. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization defines IPM as "the careful consideratio ...

and

rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to ...

selection.

Yields and harvest times

While true for most wine

grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimportant to agriculture, see ''V ...

, the quality of Chenin blanc wine is intimately connected to the care taken in the vineyard. If the grapes are harvested too soon, before they ripen, the high acidity results in wine being (according to wine expert Oz Clarke) "one of the nastiest wines possible". If the grapes are harvested at too high of a yield, the grapes do not retain any of Chenin blanc's distinctive character notes. In the Loire, French regulations mandate that yields be kept low (40-50 hl/ha). At these levels, more of Chenin blanc's varietal characteristics of floral, honeyed aromas are exhibited. When the grape is harvested at high yields, such as the

California Central Valley The Central Valley is a broad, elongated, flat valley that dominates the interior of California, United States. It is wide and runs approximately from north-northwest to south-southeast, inland from and parallel to the Pacific coast. It cover ...

average of 10 tons per acre (175 hl/ha), Chenin's flavors become more bland and neutral. The vine is naturally vigorous and prone to overcropping if not kept in check. In fertile soils, as in parts of South Africa, Chenin blanc can easily produce yields of 240 hl/ha. To keep yields in check, vineyard managers may choose to graft Chenin vines with less vigorous

from ''

Vitis riparia ''Vitis riparia'' Michx, with common names riverbank grape or frost grape, is a vine indigenous to North America. As a climbing or trailing vine, it is widely distributed across central and eastern Canada and the central and northeastern parts ...

'' or '' Vitis rupestris'' vines. During the growing season, they may also elect to do a green harvest where excess grape clusters are removed. With optimal ripeness and balance between acidity and sugars being such a viticultural priority for Chenin blanc, many growers (such as those in the Loire Valley) harvest the grapes in "tries" or successive pickings through the vineyards. During each series of picking, only the ripest clusters or individual grapes are harvested by hand during a period that could last four to six weeks and include three to six passes through the vineyard. For the production of sweet botrytized wines, pickers look for the grapes that have achieved the necessary amount of the noble rot. In hot and dry years where no noble rot occurs, pickers may leave ripened grapes on the vine long enough to shrivel, or '' passerillé'', where they could later be affected by noble rot. In areas that experience considerable

variation, winemakers may decide on a day-by-day basis what style and dryness of Chenin blanc they could make, with the grapes harvested during each try going to different styles of wine. For some producers in Vouvray, which may have up to six tries during harvest, the first few could go to sparkling and dry wine production, while the later trie could go towards sweet wine production.

Wine regions

While Chenin blanc is planted across the globe from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, it is considered a "major" planting in only a few locations. Though France is the viticultural home of Chenin blanc, by the turn of the 21st century, twice as much Chenin blanc was planted in

as in France. The grape's versatility and ability to reflect ''terroir'' causes it to lead, as what

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

describes, a " double life". In the Loire Valley of France, it is prized as a premium quality wine grape able to produce world-class wines, while in many New World wine regions, it used as a " workhorse variety", contributing acidity to bulk white blends and showing more neutral flavors rather than ''terroir''. Throughout all its manifestations, Chenin blanc's characteristic acidity is found almost universally in all wine regions.

France

Ampelographers theorize that Chenin blanc originated in the Loire Valley of France sometime in the 9th century. Today, the Loire is the

French wine French wine is produced throughout all of France in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world. French wine traces its history to th ...

region most closely associated with the variety. In 2008, of Chenin were planted in France, mostly in the

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a Departments of France, department in the Centre-Val de Loire Regions of France, region of France. It is named after two rivers which run through it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher (river), Cher in its southern p ...

, and

Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indr ...

departments with the Anjou region around the city of

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

in the Maine-et-Loire having the most significant plantings with in 2008. While Chenin blanc still accounts for around 1.2% of all French plantings, these numbers are a significant drop from the of grapevines that were in cultivation in 1958. Chenin blanc is an authorized planting in many ''

Appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

'' (AOC) regions, but is mostly planted in the Middle Loire AOCs of Anjou, Bonnezeaux, Crémant de Loire, Coteaux de l'Aubance, Coteaux du Layon, Jasnières, Montlouis, Quarts de Chaume,

Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...

, Savennières (AOC), Savennières, and Vouvray (AOC), Vouvray. The wines of the Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux, and Quarts de Chaume are produced as sweet dessert wines, while Savennières produce predominantly dry wines. The wines of Anjou, Crémant de Loire, Coteaux de l'Aubance, Jasnières, Montlouis, Saumur, and Vouvray have a wide range of sweetness levels, from dry to semi-sweet to sweet. In the 1970s, plantings of Chenin blanc in the Loire were uprooted in favor of the more fashionable red

and white

, as well as the easier-to-grow Gamay. This consolidated Chenin's presence to the Middle Loire region around Anjou-Saumur and Touraine. In the 1980s, interest in the sweet dessert wines of the Loire renewed enthusiasm for Chenin blanc in the region. During this time, the

region of Sauternes (wine), Sauternes had experienced a series of favorable vintages that gave a dramatic increase in prices as supply began to dwindle in face of high demand. Wine consumers who had developed an appreciation for these sweet wines began to look to the Loire as another source. The 1990s brought a string of successful vintages to the Middle Loire that produced many highly rated Chenin wines affected by noble rot. As wine expert Oz Clarke noted, these wines became the "standard-bearer" for Chenin blanc. The climate of the wine region tends to dictate what style of Chenin blanc is most prevalent in the area. In the northernmost reaches of Jasnières, Chenin blanc is at its limits for cultivation, with the wines being mostly dry and thin. While most of the Middle Loire experiences a continental climate (wine), continental climate, the Coteaux du Layon receives more climatic influence from the Atlantic Ocean, which promotes the development of ''Botrytis cinerea'', than in nearby Vouvray or Montlouis. While all three AOCs produce sweet, botrytized wine, less vintage variation is found in the Coteaux du Layon. The cool continental influence in Montlouis and Vouvray lends itself to producing a wide range of Chenin blanc, including grapes with the necessary balance of acidity to sugar needed to produce sparkling wine. In the AOC of Savennières, less fog and mist from the nearby rivers occur and more wind that makes botrytis taking root more difficult. This is part of the reason why Savennières is the one Loire AOC that produces predominantly dry Chenin blanc. In the south of France, the warm Mediterranean climate (wine), Mediterranean climate of the Languedoc region encourages the production of many more dry styles of Chenin blanc rather than sweet.

Other wine styles and French Chenins

While most Chenin blanc is produced as a varietal wine, up to 20% of Chardonnay and

are permitted in wines with the basic Anjou, Saumur, and Touraine designations. The high acidity of Chenin blanc lends itself well to sparkling-wine production, where it is an important component of Crémant de Loire, sparkling Vouvray, and in the Languedoc wine region of Limoux (wine), Limoux. In Crémant de Limoux, Chenin must account for at least 20% and up to 40% of the blend with Mauzac (grape), Mauzac, Pinot noir and Chardonnay. The grape is also permitted in the still wines of Limoux, but is only blended with Mauzac and Chardonnay. Outside the Loire, in addition to the Languedoc plantings in Limoux, other French plantings of Chenin blanc can be found in Corsica (wine), Corsica (with planted on the island in 2008), Charentes, and the Aveyron Departments of France, department. In South West France (wine), South West France, it is permitted to be used in the white wines of the Côtes de Duras and the Garonne wines of Vins d'Estaing and Vins d'Entraygues et du Fel.

South Africa

In South Africa, Chenin blanc is the most widely planted variety, accounting for nearly one-fifth (18.6%) of all vineyard plantings in the early 21st century. In 2008, of the grape were planted, nearly twice the amount of Chenin blanc planted in France. Most of the plantings are found in the Western Cape wine region of Paarl in the Cape Winelands District Municipality, with with the Swartland region of Malmesbury, Western Cape, Malmesbury and Olifants River (Western Cape), Olifants River not far behind with , respectively, in cultivation in 2008. The variety was most likely introduced to the country in the collection of cuttings sent to Jan van Riebeeck by the Dutch East India Company. For the next two hundred years of South African wine history, the variety was known as Steen. Ampelographers were not able to concretely identify the numerous plantings of Steen around the country as being Chenin blanc until 1965. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Chenin blanc was the principal grape in the South African wine industry's "white wine renaissance" that was ushered in by the introduction of new technologies such as temperature-controlled fermentation (wine), fermentation vessels. During this time, the focus was on producing off-dry, clean, and crisp wine that was mostly neutral in flavor and could capitalize on the wine market's demand for white wine. Near the end of the 20th century, several Chenin blanc specialist producers emerged and worked with vineyard managers to isolate older Chenin vines on suitable ''terroir''. Their goal was to produce wines that exhibited Chenin's unique aromas and traits. While plantings of Chenin blanc have decreased, the work of these producers resulted in improved quality profiles of South African Chenin blanc.

United States

During the 1980s, the California wine industry had more acreage of Chenin blanc planted than France, though the plantings later steadily declined. By 2006, were planted there, mostly in the hot Central Valley (California), Central Valley. In 2010, this level was down to . For most of its history in the California wine industry, the grape was considered a "workhorse variety" that could be used anonymously in bulk and jug wine blends. Chenin's natural acidity and ability to adapt to wines of varying degrees of sweetness made it an ideal blending partner with

and Chardonnay in mass-produced blends. Until close to the turn 21st century, producers in Sacramento Valley's Clarksburg AVA had not started to make quality varietal Chenin blancs a specialty; Chenin blancs from these producers tend to show a characteristic musky melon aroma and have the potential to age well. While Chenin blanc is grown throughout the United States, the American Viticultural Areas with the most significant amount of plantings include the California AVAs of Clarksburg, Napa Valley (wine), Napa Valley, and Mendocino (AVA), Mendocino, the Washington (wine), Washington wine regions of the Yakima Valley AVA, Yakima and Columbia Valley (AVA), Columbia Valley, and the Texas High Plains AVA.Appellation American '
Chenin blanc
Accessed: July 7th 2006 In 2012, Washington had of Chenin while Texas was growing . Other states in the United States with plantings of Chenin blanc include New York (wine), New York, Missouri (wine), Missouri, Wisconsin (wine), Wisconsin, Minnesota (wine), Minnesota, Arizona (wine), Arizona, New Mexico (wine), New Mexico, Maryland (wine), Maryland, North Carolina (wine), North Carolina, Virginia (wine), Virginia, Idaho (wine), Idaho, Colorado (wine), Colorado and Texas (wine), Texas. In 1990, of Chenin blanc were planted in Oregon, but by 2001, virtually all of it had been uprooted with only a few isolated plantings remaining.

Other wine regions

In Australia, the country's of Chenin blanc are mostly grown as a blending variety often used with Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, and Semillon. Australian Chenin plantings can be found in Tasmania (wine), Tasmania, New South Wales (wine), New South Wales, Victoria (wine), Victoria, and South Australia (wine), South Australia, as well as the Swan Valley (Western Australia), Swan Valley and Margaret River areas of Western Australia. Wine expert James Halliday (wine), James Halliday describes the style of Australia Chenin blanc as "tutti-frutti" with pronounced fruit salad notes. However, the wines produced in Western Australia have garnered more critical attention. In 2008, there were of Chenin blanc in cultivation in Australia. In New Zealand, acreage of the variety fell to just under by 2004. By 2008, that number had dropped to . Planted primarily on the North Island, some examples of New Zealand Chenin blanc have drawn favorable comparisons to the sweet dessert styles of Chenin from the Loire Valley. Historically, the grape has been used as a blending partner with Müller-Thurgau in mass-produced blends. The success of some critically acclaimed New Zealand Chenin blancs has sparked interest in planting the variety. As experts such as Oz Clarke have noted, though, as long as the value of New Zealand Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc stays high, little economic reason exists to pursue premium Chenin blanc production. Chenin blanc is found planted throughout South America, though for many years plantings

, Brazil (wine), Brazil, and Uruguay (wine), Uruguay were confused for Pinot blanc. The grape was used primarily in mass-produced white blends. In 2008, Argentina had of Chenin blanc, most of it in the Mendoza wine region, while Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay had , , and of grapevines planted, respectively. The grape was exported to Israel (wine), Israel in the 20th century, where it is still found in limited quantities. Canada has Chenin blanc planted in the Okanagan (wine), Okanagan wine region of British Columbia (wine), British Columbia and in Ontario (wine), Ontario. Some plantings of Chenin blanc can be found in the Spanish wine regions, mainly in Catalonia (wine), Catalonia. In 2015, of the grape were planted, but this number may rise as DNA analysis in 2006 discovered the ''Agudelo'' grape variety growing in the Galicia (wine), Galicia, Alella (wine), Alella, and Penedès wine region is actually Chenin blanc. The tropical wine regions of India (wine), India and Thailand also has some limited plantings of the grape.

Winemaking and wine styles

Wine expert Jancis Robinson has noted that Chenin blanc is probably the world's most versatile grape, being able to produce quality wines of various sweetness, including dessert wines noted for their aging ability (wine), aging ability, as well as sparkling made according to the ''méthode champenoise'' and fortified wines. The grape can distinguish itself as a single varietal wine, or it can add acidity as a blending component. Its ability to be crafted into premium-quality wines across a wide spectrum of dry and sweetness levels invites the comparison to German (wine), German Rieslings, with Robinson noting that in many ways, Chenin blanc is France's answer to the German Riesling. One of the major differences between Old World (wine), Old World- and New World (wine), New World-styles of Chenin blanc is the fermentation temperature. Old World-style producers in the Loire tend to ferment their Chenin blanc at higher temperatures, , than New World producers in South Africa and elsewhere, usually fermenting their whites at temperatures around . This is because Old World wine producers tend not to put a premium on the tropical fruit flavors and aromas that come out more vividly with cooler fermentation temperatures. Chenin blanc can accommodate some skin contact and maceration (wine), maceration, which will allow extraction of phenolic compounds (wine), phenolic compounds that could add to the complexity of the wine. Two of the aromas that skin contact can bring out is the characteristic greengage and angelica notes of Chenin. The grape's characteristic acidity can be softened by malolactic fermentation, which gives the wine a creamier or "fattier" texture, as would a period spent aging on the lees (wine), lees. The use of wood or oak aging is up to each individual producer. Old World producers tend to shy away from the use of new oak barrels, which can impart flavors of vanilla, spice, and toasted notes, though these notes may be desirable for a New World producer. In Savennières, a tradition remains of using acacia and chestnut barrels for aging, though acacia can impart a yellow tint to the wine, and chestnut barrels may add some buttery notes.

Wines

The aromas and flavor notes of Chenin blanc often include the descriptors (wine), descriptors of minerally (wine), minerally, greengage, Garden Angelica, angelica and honey. Chenin wines produced from noble rot will often have notes of peaches and honey that develop into barley sugar, marzipan, and

as they

. Dry or semisweet Chenin blanc from the Loire will often have notes apple, greengage, and chalky minerals that develop into more honey, acacia, and quince aromas. New World styles of Chenin, such as those of South Africa, are more often made to be consume young and exhibit rich tropical fruit notes such as banana, guava, pear, and pineapple. The alcohol level for dessert styles Chenin rarely goes above 12%, which keeps the wines more in balance. Drier styles of Chenin are more likely to be around 13.5%. The aging ability of sweet Loire Chenin blanc is among the longest-lived in the world of wine, with well-made examples from favorable vintages regularly having the potential to last for at least 100 years. This longevity is attributed to the grape's naturally high acidity, which acts as a preservative. As phenolic compounds in wine, phenolic compounds in the wine break down, they add complexity and depth to the wine. Some off-dry or "demi-sec" examples may need at least 10 years before they start drinking at peak levels and could continue to develop for another 20 to 30 years. Sparkling and dry examples of Chenin blanc from premium production and favorable vintages have also shown longevity levels not commonly associated with white wine. However, as they age, Chenin blanc wines are prone to going through "dumb phases" where the wine closes up, revealing little aroma and varietal characteristics.

Food pairings

Chenin blanc can be a very versatile player in food and wine pairings, but the wide range of wine styles needs to be taken into account. Lighter, dry styles can pair well with light dishes such as salads, fish (meat), fish, and chicken (meat), chicken. The sweeter styles of Chenin blanc can balance the spicy heat of some Asian (cuisine), Asian and Hispanic cuisines. The acidity and balance of medium-dry styles can pair well with cream sauces and rich dishes such as '' pâté''.

Synonyms

Over the years, Chenin blanc has been known under a variety of synonyms, including Agudelo (in Spain), Agudillo (Spain), Anjou, Blanc d'Aunis, Blanc d’Anjou, Capbreton blanc (Landes (department), Landes, France), Confort, Coue Fort, Cruchinet, Cugnette, Feher Chenin, Franc blanc (Aveyron, France), Franche, Gamet blanc (Aveyron, France), Gros Chenin (in Maine-et-Loire and Indre-et-Loire), Gros Pineau (in Touraine), Gros Pinot Blanc de la Loire, Gout Fort, Luarskoe, Pineau d'Anjou (in Mayenne), Pineau de Briollay, Pineau de la Loire (in Indre-et-Loire), Pineau de Savennières, Pineau Gros, Pineau Gros de Vouvray, Pineau Nantais, Plant d’Anjou (in Indre-et-Loire), Plant de Brézé, Plant de Salces, Plant de Salles, Plant du Clair de Lune, Quefort, Rajoulin, Ronchalin, Rouchelein, Rouchelin (in Gironde and Périgord), Rouchalin, Rougelin, Steen (South Africa), Stein, Tête de Crabe, Vaalblaar Stein and Verdurant.

References

External links

Chenin blanc
from Winepros.org, with characteristics of its vine, grape and wine
South African Chenin Blanc Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chenin Blanc White wine grape varieties