CHENIN BLANC

Chenin Blanc 

Pronunciation:“shen-nin blahnk”

TASTING NOTES

FRUIT: yellow apple, quince, pear, baked apple, bruised apple, passionfruit, lime, honeydew melon, peach, mandarin orange.

OTHER: lemon verbena, ginger, honey, honeysuckle, jasmine, chamomile, saffron, apple blossom, cheese rind (oxidative styles), hay, butterscotch, lemon curd, nutmeg, baked apple,.
ACIDITY: medium-plus to high acidity

Welcome to a rising star in the white wine world, a near-foolproof crowdpleaser that is neither too oaky nor too grassy: Chenin Blanc.

Although the grape comes from the Loire valley in France, South Africa currently leads the world in production, with the varietal resulting in over one-fifth of all vineyard plantings, producing about half the world’s supply annually. 

“I think it’s a fun grape for wine drinkers to explore. Chenins can appeal to a wide range of fans – they have enough body to appeal to Chardonnay drinkers, enough aromatic generosity to make Sauvignon Blanc fans happy, and they’re still fresh, which is important to Pinot Grigio drinkers.”

Depending on the winemaker’s recipe and handling of the grapes, it can produce both dry and sweet wines, sparkling and still wines, and varieties that range from easy drinking to deep, serious Chenins.

Here in the Overberg we have the following Chenin Blanc producers

PAUL WALLACE 

WHALEHAVEN

CREATION 

PAARDENKLOOF ESTATE

ANYSBOS

BEAUMONT

GABRIELSKLOOF

LUDDITE

VILLION

WILDEKRANS

BRUCE JACK

JEAN DANEEL

(Please note that there may be other Chenin producers, but they have not subscribed to our website)