All the medallists from The Global Chenin Blanc Masters 2025

Despite Chenin Blanc’s origins in the Loire Valley, South Africa now seems to have the edge on its French rival, reports Patricia Stefanowicz MW.

CHENIN BLANC, in its native region of north-central France, is unbelievably versatile, as the judges found in this year’s Global Chenin Blanc Masters competition. The variety produces some of the finest age-worthy sweet wines and a vast range of dry whites, with or without oak. The grape is known for its sparkling wines too, and the occasional lightly fortified wine, as we discovered.

In the grape’s likely origin of Anjou-Touraine in the Loire Valley, Chenin produces the full range of styles: deliciously gluggable Crémant de Loire, sparkling Saumur and sparkling Vouvray.

At the other end of the spectrum sit the late-picked sweet wines of Coteaux du Layon and botrytis-infected Vouvray, Montlouis, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume, all of which can age for decades. The best dry, medium-dry and medium-sweet wines of the Loire show honey, lemon, custard, and yellow plums and peaches, with a chalky-limestone spine giving structure. The dry examples are usually influenced by lees contact, adding creaminess, and are sometimes aged in older oak, both techniques contributing layers and elegance to this textural grape variety.

In this year’s competition, the few French Chenin Blanc wines we judged validated everything connoisseurs love about this variety. French Chenins are usually of high quality, displaying concentrated flavours and intriguing texture, as well as offering value for money. A sparkling wine from Monmousseau stood out as a Silver medal-winner, while a sub-£10 unoaked still Chenin from Château de Brizé earned a well-deserved Gold.

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Old Vine Project

Chenin grapes were brought to South Africa in the 17th century, where the variety now occupies more than 18,000 hectares, nearly twice as much as in France. Unoaked wines are easy-drinking crowd-pleasers, while oaked wines strike a beautiful balance, with hazelnut and toast accenting the creamy custard and lemon flavours.

The best examples show extra ripeness, with passionfruit, galia melon and pineapple shimmering through the rapier acidity. The £10–£15 and £15–£20 price brackets did particularly well, with myriad producers earning Gold medals this year. Durbanville Hills, Koelenhof, Perdeberg, Spier, KWV and Bellingham all impressed. There is no question that South Africa’s Old Vine Project contributes to high quality, with plants aged more than 35 years providing beautiful fruit allied to fabulous texture and flavour.

In 2025, all the Master medals awarded were from South Africa. Stellenrust was applauded for its 60 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc, and Ken Forrester for its Dirty Little Secret. Spier impressed with its Seaward Chenin Blanc, and our Grand Master accolade went to Spier’s flagship wine, 21 Gables.

Why Chenin Blanc is ignored by many consumers is a mystery. With balance, texture, acidity and, often, carefully-managed oak, these wines perfectly complement all sorts of global cuisines.

Sparkling 100% Chenin Blanc

Still Unoaked 100% Chenin Blanc

Still Oaked 100% Chenin Blanc

Still Oaked 100% Chenin Blanc (continued)

Sweet 100% Chenin Blanc

Fortified 100% Chenin Blanc

Sparkling Blend

Still Unoaked Blend

Still Oaked 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 shine. The 2025 competition was judged on 7 July at The Wine Tasting Shop, Balham, London, 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 accolades – the titles of Chenin Blanc Master or Grand Master. This report features medal winners only. Please visit the Global Masters website for more information or, to enter future competitions, with a chance to appear in print and online, call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com