A Chenin… on an Autumn Sunday

What a joy to enjoy the garden and those few rays of sunshine this beautiful late season has to offer. An unusual autumn Sunday spent with a lovely Chenin from Domaine de Beauvent in Bernex (and with my sweetheart too!!!).

A pleasant discovery recommended to us by the wine merchant at Manor — we’re savouring the end of this weekend to the fullest (and we hope you are too).

Originally from the Loire Valley, the Chenin grape variety is also known as Pinot blanc de Loire and expresses itself wonderfully on the terroirs of Anjou and Touraine. It is also said to be called Chenin noir, as it is thought to come from a selection of the red variety Pineau d’Aunis.

Many winemakers around the world have been seduced by this grape variety it has been adopted in the United States, Canada, Chile, Argentina, and Australia. Introduced by the Huguenots in 1685 to South Africa, where it is called Steen, it is now the country’s most planted grape variety, with over 27,000 hectares.

Resistant to disease, Chenin adapts to all types of soil and climate. With its golden yellow colour, it offers a lovely structure on the palate and a slight bitterness, but above all, it has a beautiful acidity , the key to its excellent ageing potential. This allows it to reveal itself in many styles: dry, off-dry, sweet, dessert wine, or sparkling.

The best-known appellations are Anjou (around 2%), Saumur, and Savennières (a nod to Eric Morgat’s FIDES, a magnificent Chenin from four different types of schist). Chenin is also susceptible to Botrytis Cinerea when harvested late (through successive selections, as in Alsace), producing excellent, remarkably complex sweet wines from appellations such as Coteaux de l’Aubance and Coteaux du Layon. Great sweet Chenins can age for over 50 years in the cellar.

From Cape Town to the Loire in France, Chenin offers a rich aromatic palette: acacia, lemon, pear, honey, almond, quince, peach, pineapple, mango, dried apricot, mint, clove, and more. I love pairing it with Crottin de Chèvre (goat’s cheese), but also with one of my favourite dishes: Breton sole with capers and lemon.

Pineau des Charentes… a Pineau you can’t confuse!

In Charente and Charente-Maritime, you’ll also find a fortified wine made from grape must blended with Cognac from the same estate. To produce a white Pineau des Charentes, the main grape varieties used are Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Sémillon, and Sauvignon; for the reds, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot. Ageing takes place in barrels for 8 to 18 months (or several years, depending on the type of wine).