Chenin blanc
Chenin blanc | |
---|---|
Grape (Vitis) | |
Color of berry skin | White |
Species | Vitis vinifera |
Also called | Steen, Pineau de la Loire, Pinot blanco (more) |
Origin | Loire, France |
Original pedigree | Sauvignon blanc × Trousseau |
Pedigree parent 1 | Sauvignon blanc |
Pedigree parent 2 | Trousseau |
Notable regions | Loire, South Africa |
Notable wines | Vouvray, Coteaux du Layon, sparkling Saumur |
Hazards | Bunch rot, sunburn, overproduction |
VIVC number | 2527 |
Chenin blanc (known also as Pineau de la Loire among
It provides a fairly neutral palate for the expression of
History
French
When Thomas Bohier purchased vineyard land around Chenonceaux on January 3, 1496, several grape varieties were brought in from the Burgundy wine region of Beaune, the Jura wine region of Arbois and nearby Orléans and Anjou. One of these varieties, a white grape known as Plant d'Anjou, was later planted between 1520 and 1535 at a nearby site known as Mont Chenin in Touraine by the Lord of Château de Chenonceau and his brother-in-law, Denis Briçonnet, the abbot of Cormery. Ampelographers believe that Plant d'Anjou was like Chenin blanc, with the grape eventually taking on the name from Mont Chenin.[5]
French writer
This done, the shepherds and shepherdesses made merry with these cakes and fine grapes, and sported themselves together at the sound of the pretty small pipe, scoffing and laughing at those vainglorious cake-bakers, who had that day met with a mischief for want of crossing themselves with a good hand in the morning. Nor did they forget to apply to Forgier's leg some fat chenin grapes, and so handsomely dressed it and bound it up that he was quickly cured.[6]
From France, the grape spread to
Relationship to other grapes
In 1999,
Other DNA research has shown that a
Over the years, Chenin blanc has also been frequently confused with other grape varieties with which it does not seem to have a close genetic relationship. This includes the
Viticulture
The Chenin blanc
New
The climate of a wine region largely dictates whether Chenin blanc is produced in a predominantly sweet or dry manner, while the
Among the
Yields and harvest times
While true for most wine
With optimal ripeness and balance between acidity and sugars being such a viticultural priority for Chenin blanc, many growers (such as those in the Loire Valley) harvest the grapes in "tries" or successive pickings through the vineyards. During each series of picking, only the ripest clusters or individual grapes are harvested by hand during a period that could last four to six weeks and include three to six passes through the vineyard. For the production of sweet botrytized wines, pickers look for the grapes that have achieved the necessary amount of the noble rot. In hot and dry years where no noble rot occurs, pickers may leave ripened grapes on the vine long enough to shrivel, or
Wine regions
While Chenin blanc is planted across the globe from
France
Ampelographers theorize that Chenin blanc originated in the Loire Valley of France sometime in the 9th century. Today, the Loire is the French wine region most closely associated with the variety. In 2008, 9,828 hectares (24,290 acres) of Chenin were planted in France, mostly in the Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, and Maine-et-Loire departments with the Anjou region around the city of Angers in the Maine-et-Loire having the most significant plantings with 5,044 hectares (12,460 acres) in 2008. While Chenin blanc still accounts for around 1.2% of all French plantings, these numbers are a significant drop from the 16,594 hectares (41,000 acres) of grapevines that were in cultivation in 1958.[5]
Chenin blanc is an authorized planting in many
In the 1970s, plantings of Chenin blanc in the Loire were uprooted in favor of the more fashionable red Cabernet Franc and white Sauvignon blanc, as well as the easier-to-grow Gamay.[3] This consolidated Chenin's presence to the Middle Loire region around Anjou-Saumur and Touraine.[5] In the 1980s, interest in the sweet dessert wines of the Loire renewed enthusiasm for Chenin blanc in the region. During this time, the Bordeaux wine region of Sauternes had experienced a series of favorable vintages that gave a dramatic increase in prices as supply began to dwindle in face of high demand. Wine consumers who had developed an appreciation for these sweet wines began to look to the Loire as another source. The 1990s brought a string of successful vintages to the Middle Loire that produced many highly rated Chenin wines affected by noble rot. As wine expert Oz Clarke noted, these wines became the "standard-bearer" for Chenin blanc.[3]
The climate of the wine region tends to dictate what style of Chenin blanc is most prevalent in the area. In the northernmost reaches of Jasnières, Chenin blanc is at its limits for cultivation, with the wines being mostly dry and thin. While most of the Middle Loire experiences a
Other wine styles and French Chenins
While most Chenin blanc is produced as a varietal wine, up to 20% of
Outside the Loire, in addition to the Languedoc plantings in Limoux, other French plantings of Chenin blanc can be found in
South Africa
In South Africa, Chenin blanc is the most widely planted variety, accounting for nearly one-fifth (18.6%) of all vineyard plantings in the early 21st century. In 2008, 18,852 hectares (46,580 acres) of the grape were planted, nearly twice the amount of Chenin blanc planted in France. Most of the plantings are found in the
The variety was most likely introduced to the country in the collection of cuttings sent to Jan van Riebeeck by the Dutch East India Company. For the next two hundred years of
United States
During the 1980s, the California wine industry had more acreage of Chenin blanc planted than France, though the plantings later steadily declined. By 2006, 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) were planted there, mostly in the hot Central Valley. In 2010, this level was down to 7,223 acres (2,923 ha).[5]
For most of its
While Chenin blanc is grown throughout the United States, the
Other states in the United States with plantings of Chenin blanc include
Other wine regions
In Australia, the country's 1,500 acres (610 ha) of Chenin blanc are mostly grown as a blending variety often used with Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, and
In New Zealand, acreage of the variety fell to just under 250 acres (100 ha) by 2004. By 2008, that number had dropped to 124 acres (50 ha).[5] Planted primarily on the North Island, some examples of New Zealand Chenin blanc have drawn favorable comparisons to the sweet dessert styles of Chenin from the Loire Valley.[4] Historically, the grape has been used as a blending partner with Müller-Thurgau in mass-produced blends. The success of some critically acclaimed New Zealand Chenin blancs has sparked interest in planting the variety. As experts such as Oz Clarke have noted, though, as long as the value of New Zealand Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc stays high, little economic reason exists to pursue premium Chenin blanc production.[3]
Chenin blanc is found planted throughout South America, though for many years plantings
The grape was exported to
Winemaking and wine styles
Wine expert Jancis Robinson has noted that Chenin blanc is probably the world's most versatile grape, being able to produce quality wines of various sweetness, including dessert wines noted for their
One of the major differences between
Wines
The aromas and flavor notes of Chenin blanc often include the
The aging ability of sweet Loire Chenin blanc is among the longest-lived in the world of wine, with well-made examples from favorable vintages regularly having the potential to last for at least 100 years.
Food pairings
Chenin blanc can be a very versatile player in
Synonyms
Over the years, Chenin blanc has been known under a variety of synonyms, including Agudelo (in Spain), Agudillo (Spain), Anjou, Blanc d'Aunis, Blanc d’Anjou, Capbreton blanc (Landes, France), Confort, Coue Fort, Cruchinet, Cugnette, Feher Chenin, Franc blanc (Aveyron, France), Franche, Gamet blanc (Aveyron, France), Gros Chenin (in Maine-et-Loire and Indre-et-Loire), Gros Pineau (in Touraine), Gros Pinot Blanc de la Loire, Gout Fort, Luarskoe, Pineau d'Anjou (in Mayenne), Pineau de Briollay, Pineau de la Loire (in Indre-et-Loire), Pineau de Savennières, Pineau Gros, Pineau Gros de Vouvray, Pineau Nantais, Plant d’Anjou (in Indre-et-Loire), Plant de Brézé, Plant de Salces, Plant de Salles, Plant du Clair de Lune, Quefort, Rajoulin, Ronchalin, Rouchelein, Rouchelin (in Gironde and Périgord), Rouchalin, Rougelin, Steen (South Africa), Stein, Tête de Crabe, Vaalblaar Stein and Verdurant.[2][5][7]
See also
References
- ^ "Cultivating in Good Hope". National Library of South Africa. Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ^ a b c Radden, Rosemary. "Grapes and Wines of the World". The State Library of South Australia, GPO Box 419, Adelaide SA 5001. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ^ ISBN 0-15-100714-4
- ^ ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2
- ^ Translation based on that of Gustave Doré (1894) at Project Gutenberg of the following French :Ce faict, et bergiers et bergieres feirent chere lye avecques ces fouaces et beaulx raisins, et se rigollerent ensemble au son de la belle bouzine, se mocquans de ces beaulx fouaciers glorieux, qui avoient trouvé male encontre par faulte de s'estre seignez de la bonne main au matin, et avec gros raisins chenins estuverent les jambes de Forgier mignonnement, si bien qu'il feut tantost guery.
- ^ a b Maul, E.; Eibach, R. (1999). "Vitis International Variety Catalogue". Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity (IBV) of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Deichmanns Aue 29, 53179 Bonn, Germany. Archived from the original on 2007-04-11. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ^ J.H.S. Ferreira "Effect of Rootstock on the Incidence of Dying Arm of Chenin blanc vines Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine" Viticultural and Oenological Research Institute, Stellenbosch, Republic of South Africa. March, 1985
- ISBN 0-7566-1324-8.
- ^ Appellation American "Chenin blanc, Accessed: July 7th 2006
External links
- Chenin blanc from Winepros.org, with characteristics of its vine, grape and wine
- South African Chenin Blanc Association