Chenin blanc, one of the world’s top white wine varieties, is planted in 29 wine countries, but 98% of the area is in five countries:
- South Africa (16,200 ha),
- France (10,700 ha),
- USA (1,900 ha),
- Argentina (1,500 ha),
- Australia (400 ha)
South Africa and France together have 85% of the plantations. This you can read in an extensive study of the grape that has been published by Inter Loire.
Chenin blanc is one of the world’s great white wine varieties, and it can produce fantastic wines, both dry and sweet. But it is the dry wines that really stand out, and therefore, we are happy to read that the majority of chenin blanc wines today, everywhere, are made dry.
We are perhaps less enthusiastic to learn that so much is made into sparkling wine. They can, of course, be excellent, but rarely reach the heights that the still dry wines can achieve. More than half of the chenin vineyard surface in France is made into bubbles.
The grape is found mainly in the Loire Valley, where six appellations make sparkling wine with chenin:
- Vouvray
- Montlouis (both 100% Chenin),
- Crémant de Loire,
- Saumur,
- Anjou and
- Touraine (allows blends but Chenin dominates)
Crémant de Loire has significantly increased in volume in recent years and is now the second largest sparkling wine in France after Champagne. In Limoux in the Languedoc region, chenin is used for Crémant de Limoux.
Chenin blanc is South Africa’s most planted grape variety. It is grown in several different regions in the Western Cape and is also used for their excellent brandy.
Although chenin blanc is primarily produced in the Southern Hemisphere (60% of the world’s chenin area), 8 out of 10 bottles are consumed in the Northern Hemisphere. The grape variety is particularly popular in Europe, which accounts for two-thirds of global consumption, including
- Germany (20%),
- France (17%),
- United Kingdom (11%),
- Sweden (9%),
- Netherlands (5%),
- Belgium and
- Luxembourg (3%)
Read more: observatoire-cepages
Read our detailed chenin blanc grape profile here.
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