Drink Chenin Blanc Day

Every year there are a number of international grape and wine days brought to us by marketing boards around the world. Maybe it is an excuse to try something different or maybe it is a reason to assemble some benchmark wines and host a tasting. Irregardless, like any other annual observation, such days often extend on either side of the day in question.

Monday June 10 was Drink Chenin Blanc Day and simply put, one day just isn’t enough. I suggest making it at the very least a week, maybe even the entire month of June!

Chenin blanc is one of my favourite white grapes (after chardonnay of course) and is wildly versatile as the grape’s naturally high acid makes it perfect for aging, and for making sparkling, still and dessert wines.  Care must be taken in the vineyard, however, not to overcrop the vines and ask them for too much yield, otherwise the resulting wines would be relatively neutral.

The country with the most plantings of chenin blanc is South Africa, accounting for 53% of the country’s total vineyard plantings. In France 28% of the grapes planted are chenin blanc, while in The Untied States and Argentina, chenin blanc accounts for 9% and 7% respectively of vineyard plantings.

Chenin blanc is originally from France’s Loire Valley where it was initially named Plant d’Anjou. The first documented record of it is from 845. A few hundred years later, between 1520 and 1535, the abbot of the monastery Mont Chenin in the Anjou region planted grapes from all over France. As it turned out, the Plant d’Anjou variety was best suited to the climate of the village and it is thought to have been renamed after this monastery thereafter.

Now the village of Vouvray is the most commonly recognizable name on a label of chenin blanc, but there are exciting chenin blancs from all over Loire.

Grown in South Africa since the mid 1600s and known locally as Steen, chenin blanc can and does produce some outstanding wines. And it often delivers a good quality to value ratio in numerous bottles at the LCBO.

Here in Prince Edward County, there is about one acre of chenin blanc planted at the old By Chadsey's Cairns vineyard. Since 2020, the vineyard has been managed by Tim Kuepfer of Broken Stone Winery located on Closson Road where he has made four vintages of chenin blanc, with a small portion of his 2023 currently in tank waiting to get some bubbles via the charmat method.

There is a strong case to be made for more plantings of chenin blanc in The County, as it is perfectly suited for the climate, soils and of course consumer interest. In a region most known for chardonnay and pinot noir, it is refreshing to see some other, more unusual grapes planted.

What other grapes would you like to see grown here?