Like many makers of Chenin, Huet makes wines that range from dry to sweet.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
What hasn't really changed all that much is the relative obscurity of Loire Chenin Blanc.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
But to my mind, Chenin is a much greater and more versatile grape.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
"My best experiences with South African wine have been Chenin Blanc and Vin de Constance, " he explained in an email.
WSJ: Does Much-Unloved Pinotage Deserve Another Look? | On Wine by Lettie Teague
Chenin Blanc almost certainly originated in the central Loire Valley, although both California and South Africa have more acreage planted in it.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
Not surprisingly, he said it was a Chenin Blanc from his native Loire Valley, but he couldn't remember the maker or the vintage.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
While the white grape variety Chenin Blanc still remains the most planted in South Africa, its percentage of vineyard area has fallen in the past 10 years.
Chenin's identity crisis is further exacerbated by the fact that it's vinified in a variety of styles from dry to very sweet, in both still and sparkling forms.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
But it had the characteristic pear, apple and honey flavors of his beloved Loire Chenin, and it was the first wine he'd tasted since his capture some two years before.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
For many connoisseurs, the dessert wines of Vouvray, Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux represent the apex of Chenin, although I'm currently most interested in the dry wines, many of them from relatively new domains.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
Chenin reaches its greatest heights in the Loire Valley, but in keeping with French practice you won't see the name of the grape on the bottle, but rather the village or region where it's grown.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
"Chenin is France's answer to German Riesling, " said Daniel Johnnes, the wine director of Daniel Boulud's restaurant group, at a recent gathering of New York sommeliers in my living room as we prepared to taste some 25 Chenins.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
In some company this statement could clear the room fast, but sommeliers love Riesling, despite the relative skepticism of the American drinking public, and they also tend to love Chenin, for some of the same reasons it's relatively high-acid, which makes it food-friendly and lively even when it has residual sugar.
WSJ: Singing of France's Unsung Chenin Blanc | On Wine by Jay McInerney
The two white grapes, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Gris, went well with almost everything the pork, the chicken, the pasta and the salmon all fit, and the wines were rich and viscous but also minerally and clean. (I tasted both domestic and imported examples of each grape.) The only sticking point was, unsurprisingly, the steak.
WSJ: Wine and Food: Pairing Without Overthinking | On Wine by Lettie Teague
We tallied the average costs of some key elements of a first date: alcohol (specifically, a 1.5 liter bottle of Livingston Cellars, Gallo Chablis or Chenin Blanc wine), food (a 11- to 12-inch pizza from Pizza Hut), entertainment (an evening movie ticket), grooming (a barbershop visit), suiting up (a dry-cleaning bill) and transportation (price per gallon of gasoline).
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