Grape of the Week

Chenin Blanc

It's been a long hot summer and it has been awesome, but for wine drinkers who usually stick to their usual fare, you may be looking for something new. If you only drink red and you're stubborn then you can stop reading here.....

Chenin Blanc is a white grape with it's traditional home in the Loire Valley in France but has now found a new home in the coastal region of South Africa. It is one of the most versatile grapes around and can produce dry light fresh wines, dry complex age worthy sought after wines, some of the longest lived sweet wines in the world and even some nice bubbly.

This grape will give you a mouth watering acidic wine with honey, floral notes and fruit aromas that can range from citrus, to stone fruits and into tropical with most of the wines being dry. Vouvray from France, which is always Chenin, will even take on a distinct aroma of wet wool as it ages. It doesn't necessarily taste like you're chewing on a wet sweater when you're drinking it, but does lead to some complex flavours. Other French Chenin wines would be Savennieres that can have a smokey element to them, and Coteaux du Layon which are noble rot infected sweet wines; both worth trying if you ever stumble upon them.

In South Africa, Chenin is know as "Steen", and it is their most widely planted grape. This gives us lot's of nice patio / beach wines for under $15 and can provide nice value. California grows a lot of Chenin in the Central Valley for cheap bland bulk wines. The Okanagan in BC also has had some success with Chenin; the 2 that come to mind are Inniskillin and Quails Gate; and as I just found out Road 13 has an award wining sparkling version, well there you go, I'm learning too!

I had the Inniskillin last week and it was delicious. It had the usual honey notes and some nice tropical fruit; a dry crisp wine that's rather quite refreshing in this summer heat. Patio, or no patio go explore; pretend you're in South Africa, it's really really hot, your parched, you need a drink, reach out for some, (raspy voice) Chenin blanc....

                

                                                    


Thanks for reading, Happy sipping!





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