The Chenin Blanc is not one of the first grapes that comes to mind for the new wine experimenter, although it produces great wines both in France and abroad. Even in the Loire, probably more common to foreign consumers are the Sauvignon Blanc wines from Sancerre or Pouilly Fume, which have been around for decades. Overall the white wines in the Loire account for a large proportion of all production, followed by the red wines and the rose wines.
Vinifera Boutique has a large number of its wines from the Chenin Blanc grape, and specifically from the Loire because this grape in this area is very versatile and unique.
The Chenin Blanc has its home in the Loire in France and it produces a great range of different types of wines. Although it can be found in the south where it is easier to ripen, such as in Provence or Bordeaux, when the Loire wines are of good quality they are of very high restaurant standard. In the labels the local name for this grape “Pineau de Loire” can also be used. From the dry white wines, Saumur and Savennieres are the most remarkable and the most famous ones are made in the middle sections of the Loire. For example if you have not heard of the Savennieres area maybe you have heard of such producers as Nicolas Joly, also a biodynamic produer. He is a good benchmark for the top standard, yet there are certainly other great producers.
When it comes to the wines of the Loire, sweet white wine is what is often thought of. Of these, Coteaux du Layon and Chaume are the most known. Vinifera Boutique have chosen one Coteaux du Layon Vieilles Vignes as part of its selection, where the Chaume was a strong candidate, possibly to be featured later. The noble rot fits well with the Chenin Blanc grape, yet it is not always used as such to make these sweet white wines. It also has a good amount of sugar, so this is no noble rot is just sometimes used for these sweet wines, and therefore the winemaker decides on different years how to use their grapes. It is however important to pick good producers as these wines can be abundant and a good growing year for ripening is important to keep in mind with the sweet wines.
Vouvray is another remarkable name that quickly comes to the mind of locals if you had to pick one area to be the best. It produces a whole range of wines from dry to very good sweet and also different degrees of sparkling wines, such as the famous Vouvray Mousseux or the petillants.
The Chenin Blanc grape also has a good degree of acidity, which can often happen if the grapes don’t have a long enough time to ripen. One good aspect in very common with many Loire Chenin Blanc’s is that they age very well, which makes them a good choice when looking for white wines to keep very long in the cellar. Another aspect to be careful of when buying is the degree of sweetness, as this is not always labelled on the bottles. Actually many of these which are labelled as dry, might also have some other aspects which add some “sweetness” and make the very accessible, even though not overly sweet or heavy as a full sweet wine.
All wine enthusiast of course have their opinions on which wines they like, and Chenin Blanc can be found from the many areas of France all the way to South Africa. The Loire is a good place to start as it really has a good range to fit different tastes. And when starting with these wines, do be careful to select good producers who have let the grapes ripen well to produce the great wines, not the unpleasant ones.
Have you seen this logo on the label or closure? Most certainly you have but you might not have paid much attention to it. This is the logo of the independent wine growers of France or in French “Vignerons Indépendants”, which exist all over France, organized by their own regions.
