All the medallists from our Global Chenin Blanc Masters

In our inaugural Global Chenin Blanc Masters competition, Patricia Stefanowicz MW discovers from South Africa to Canada, producers of wine made from this white grape are crafting top-quality drops.

Chenin Blanc is not necessarily the first grape variety to come to wine lovers’ minds, or lips. Perhaps, however, this under-recognised grape should be reconsidered, as the impressive number of wines awarded Master, Gold and Silver medals in our inaugural Global Chenin Blanc Masters competition indicates. This Masters competition has been one of the highlights of our judging year with excitement found at every price point and style.

Chenin, as Plant d’Anjou, was first documented in France’s Loire Valley in 1496 as a white grape variety from Anjou, planted by Thomas Bohier around Chenonceau, so is almost certainly far older. Its name probably derives from the monastery of Montchenin, from where it was propagated and planted throughout Touraine, then transported back to Anjou. The grape’s first written mention as Chenin occurred in 1534 in the first book of Gargantua by the medieval Touraine poet François Rabelais.

The Loire Valley, specifically Anjou-Touraine, is Chenin Blanc’s homeland. Here it produces a wide range of styles, from Crémant de Loire, sparkling Saumur and sparkling Vouvray, to Chenin’s most spectacular wines, the late-picked, Botrytis-influenced sweet wines of Vouvray, Montlouis, Bonnezeaux, and Quarts de Chaume. In these, high sugar levels are balanced by searing acidity that allows the wines to evolve and keep for decades. Between these extremes are the dry, medium-dry, and medium-sweet wines of Anjou, Saumur, and Vouvray. The best examples show delicious flavours of honey, wet wool and apples, with a chalky mineral backbone.

The dry (or nearly dry) examples are sometimes influenced by oak and lees, which add extra layers and refinement to this noticeably textural grape variety. There is a little Chenin Blanc grown in western Languedoc, around Limoux, and further southwest in France, where it is often blended with Mauzac Blanc and Chardonnay. In the 2023 Chenin Blanc Masters, the French Chenin Blanc wines we judged were very good, and validate the qualities that wine lovers recognise. French Chenins have an extraordinary capability for high quality with flavour, texture, and value for money.

Sparkling 100% Chenin Blanc

Still Unoaked 100% Chenin Blanc

There were also some superb wines from unexpected sources. Big Head Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake in eastern Canada produces concentrated, elegant wines, with just a bit of Botrytis adding extra complexity. These signal a new region’s capacity for serious Chenin wines, and for their near-neighbours in upstate New York. Chenin Blanc grown in the Okanagan in western Canada also seems to be successful. There were also a couple of interesting wines from Maharastra in India, and one or two from Mendoza in Argentina, and from California too.

A stunning, albeit expensive wine, comes from an area not well-known for Chenin. Oliver Zeter, a producernégociant in the Pfalz region of Germany, makes a serious wine that appealed to the judges so much that they gave it a Master Award.

The judges unanimously agreed that Chenin is a grape that is unjustly overlooked. With balance, texture, bracing acidity and, often, deftly handled oak, these wines are perfect foils for food, whether everyday fish pie or haute cuisine. Chenin Blanc wines are memorable, and represent great value, over-delivering at every turn.

Still Oaked 100% Chenin Blanc

Sparkling Blend

Still Unoaked Blend

About the competition

With high-quality judges and a unique sampling process, The Global Chenin Blanc Masters provides a chance for your wines to star. The 2023 competition was judged on 8 August at Novotel London Bridge, employing experienced judges. The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding received the ultimate accolade – the title of Chenin Blanc Master. This report features the medal winners only. Please visit the Global Masters website for more information, or, to enter future competitions – giving you the chance to feature online and in print – please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com

Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, beloved by the Netherlands as its almost local wine, was brought to South Africa. Cuttings arrived with the Dutch in the 17ththcentury when the Cape was under the direction of governor Jan van Riebeeck. Chenin was immediately planted in the region, and became the dominant white grape variety, where it seems to produce the highest quality Chenin even nowadays.

Despite the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic and the myriad of pandemic-induced shut-downs, South African Chenin Blanc continues to thrive. Though sometimes treated as a workhorse variety, the Chenin Blanc wines we judged performed like thoroughbreds.

One of the great aspects of South Africa is the high quality of both unoaked and oaked styles. The judges found value for money at under £15, and experienced sublime wines at the £15-£20, £20-£30, and £30+ price levels.

Oaked wines seem to get the balance beautifully, with gentle hazelnut and toast accenting the lovely custard and lemon flavours. The best examples seem to show extra ripeness, with passionfruit, guava and pineapple shining through the rapier acidity. There is no question that South Africa’s ‘Old Vine Project’ contributes to high quality in this variety. Old Chenin, often bush-trained, can be certified if the vine-age is over 35 years, and almost every producer counts on these old vines for top-quality wines. The results are purity of fruit allied to fabulous texture and layers of flavour. Incredibly reliable wines with added interest, these are a consumer ’s dream. It is perhaps worth noting one special wine, M’hudi, from the first Black-owned wine farm in the Cape, which captured a Master Award for its absolutely delicious and ‘boutique’ Chenin Blanc.