Even those whose summertime lust for sauvignon blanc is boundless might want something a little less crunchily crisp for white wine drinking in cooler times. A little richer, perhaps with a scarcely detectable touch of ingratiating sweetness.
Chenin blanc should serve the purpose, especially if you appreciate the best value in South African wine — although by no means are all chenins cheap and ordinary nowadays; some are very smart, with prices to match.
It’s a category that has improved as much as any in recent decades — and is increasingly respected around the world, even if it is often associated with the lower shelves of supermarkets in England and Belgium.
I can’t think of another variety that offers so few disappointments and so much fresh pleasure at modest prices. The co-ops from the Swartland area are particularly good sources: Swartland, Perdeberg and Riebeek, as well as good old Boland Kelder in Paarl.
Some wineries now have more than one wine called chenin blanc, which can be confusing, given radically different prices. Some, though, announce the difference by label indications that are so subtle as to be irrelevant to most wine lovers. If I recommended L’Avenir Chenin Blanc to you, and you rushed out to buy it, you could find three of them, costing respectively R40, R50 and R170.
The pricey one is quite clearly marked as Grand Vin in curvy gold script, which is clear enough. Lower down, for R40 you get Chenin Blanc by l’Avenir; for R50 L’Avenir Chenin Blanc — which, with a few label tweaks, might be enough distinction for clever designers, but doesn’t convey much to proper people.
Both wines are delicious: dry, but rich, with pure fruity aromas and flavours. For the extra R10 you definitely get more intensity and complexity (some dry grass and pineapple added to the guava and pear drop). This is partly inherent in superior grapes, partly it comes about because the wine is put on the shelves a bit later, benefiting from that mysterious thing called “bottle development”.
The Grand Vin is a selection of the best stuff off the home vineyard, made rather differently and matured for seven months in French oak barrels. The currently available one is 2008’s — among the Cape’s best and just about worth its price: silky, lightly rich and beautifully balanced, with long-lingering flavours. Unlike some other high-priced chenins, it is subtle, not relying on power, oak and sweetness for impact — and the more drinkable for the restraint.
Another Stellenbosch producer with different versions is Simonsig. It sometimes has trouble meeting demand for its excellent standard Chenin Blanc (R36), so well known is it for reliable, easy appeal. The Chenin avec Chêne (meaning “with oak”) is a little more showy than L’Avenir’s Grand Vin, just a touch sweeter and with the wood just edging into the flavour spectrum — but also not a blockbuster. It sells for R127.
The range available makes it clear that chenin is not a variety about which to make sweeping generalisations — except one: ignore it and you’re the loser.