The character

Chenin Blanc is one of the most versatile white grapes in the world. It can be vinified bone-dry (Savennières), off-dry (Vouvray sec-tendre), sweet (Vouvray Moelleux, Bonnezeaux, Quarts de Chaume), or sparkling (Crémant de Loire, Vouvray brut). The signature is high acidity that keeps the wine fresh at every sweetness level, plus a distinctive flavor profile of quince, beeswax, honey, and damp wool that develops with age into something extraordinary.

Where it grows best

Loire Valley, France: Vouvray, Montlouis, Savennières, Anjou, Saumur, Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux, Quarts de Chaume — each producing a different style. South Africa: the country’s most-planted white grape, with serious dry and old-vine bottlings from the Swartland (Sadie Family, Mullineux, A.A. Badenhorst) and Stellenbosch. Smaller plantings in California (Bonny Doon), New Zealand, and Argentina.

How it tastes

Young dry Chenin: lemon, quince, pear, white flower, wet stone, sometimes a green apple bite. Aged dry Chenin (Savennières especially): honey, beeswax, dried apricot, lanolin, salted almond — the wines develop a savory, weighty character that belies their high acid. Sweet Chenin: candied apricot, honey, marmalade, with the unmistakable acid spine that keeps the sweetness from cloying. Sparkling Chenin: lemon, apple, brioche, chalk — a great alternative to Champagne at half the price.

How it ages

Top Loire Chenin is one of the great long-aging whites in wine. Dry Savennières from Coulée de Serrant or Closel routinely ages thirty-plus years. Sweet Vouvray from Domaine Huet (especially the Cuvée Constance) ages fifty-plus. South African Swartland old-vine Chenin from a top producer ages fifteen to twenty-five.

What to pair with

Dry Chenin: roast chicken, pork loin, scallops, sushi, goat cheese. Off-dry Chenin: spicy Asian food, Vietnamese cuisine, salty cheeses. Sweet Chenin: foie gras, blue cheese, fruit-based desserts. Sparkling Chenin: aperitif, oysters, fried food, charcuterie.