Storyteller Chenin Blanc

Hello Wine Lovers!

Today's entry is a wine from South Africa, Storyteller Chenin Blanc. Available at Binny's for $6.99 (are you kidding me?) It still surprises the heck out of me how you get a bottle of wine to market for this kind of money! An aromatic nose of melon, lemon and pear are followed by a slight honey and pear on the palate. Very approachable with a lot of complexity for a wine at this price point! Pair with poultry dishes and seafood with cream bases.

Let's discover Chenin Blanc. Known also as Pineau de la Loire, is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines. Outside the Loire it is found in most of the New World wine regions; it is the most widely planted variety in South Africa, where it is also known as Steen. The grape may have been one of the first to be grown in South Africa. The Chenin Blanc grapevine buds early in the growing season and ripens late—traits that would make the vine more ideal in warmer climates rather than the cool Loire Valley. However, in warm years, the balance between the Loire's marginal climate and the warmth needed to attain full ripeness has the potential of producing wines with some depth of complexity and finesse.It provides a fairly neutral palate for the expression of terroir, vintage variation and the winemaker's treatment. I think you will find what they did to this grape in the Western Cape is quite enjoyable and a very nice wine to sip on the patio in the summer!

Cheers!

J