How to pour
a chenin blanc in
Place the bottle in the fridge for two hours, then consider the style. Serve a bone-dry Savennières or Vouvray sec at around 10 to 12 degrees, because below that the quince disappears and only the acidity remains. A semi-sweet or sweet bottle, on the other hand, calls for 8 to 10 degrees so the sugar doesn’t become overpowering.
Cut around the capsule below the raised part of the neck and wipe the neck clean. Place the spiral in the centre of the cork and twist it straight down. A sparkling Vouvray or crémant doesn’t need a corkscrew: hold the cork in place and twist the bottle, not the cork.
Decanting is rarely necessary for chenin. It does help to let a dry bottle that has just come out of the fridge stand in the glass for a few minutes; the honey and the almost woolly, lanolin-like note of a mature bottle only emerge once the wine has warmed by a degree or two.
Pour to about one-third of the glass, leaving space above the wine. It’s better to top up with a small amount more often than to fill the glass: this keeps the rest of the bottle cool in the fridge, and you can drink each glass at the temperature suited to the style.
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The story
Chenin blanc belongs in the Middle Loire, where the grape's appellations lie close together. Savennières and Vouvray sec represent the dry end, Vouvray demi-sec the off-dry end, and Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux du Layon the sweet wines made from grapes shriveled by noble rot. A substantial share of the harvest also goes into sparkling wine, as Vouvray pétillant or Crémant de Loire. Outside France, South Africa is the grape's second home; there it is known as steen and produces a distinctive, fuller style.
The right glass
There is no dedicated chenin glass, and that makes sense: the grape produces such a wide range of wines that one shape could never suit them all. For the dry and aged styles, a bowl of around 35 centilitres with a slightly narrower opening works well, as it focuses the quince and honey aromas without letting the wine warm up too quickly. For sparkling Vouvray and crémant, many people prefer a glass with a molded mousse point that keeps the bubbles lively. The two below are the closest options in our range to those two roles; the full selection can be found among the white wine glasses, and if you want to keep the bottle chilled at the table, take a look at the wine coolers.
Luigi Bormioli Supremo Wine Glass 35 cl Chardonnay (6 pieces)
Zwiesel Glas Level White Wine Tumbler 37.8 cl with Mousse Point (2 pieces)
Both sets together € 61,85.
The right tools
For a chenin blanc, alongside the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew and, if the bottle needs to stay chilled, a wine cooler. The bar tools below only come into play when chenin goes into a kir or a spritz: a bar spoon for stirring and a jigger for measuring the crème de cassis or syrup. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 63,85.
Which wine goes with this?
Chenin blanc alone covers a large part of the table, from aperitif to dessert. These are the wines that logically surround it, from a glass of crémant beforehand to a sweet moscato afterward. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair with it, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The dry end starts with Savennières and Vouvray sec, the off-dry end with demi-sec, and those who want it truly sweet will end up with Coteaux du Layon or Quarts de Chaume. Moelleux lies between them, sweeter than demi-sec and less dense than the true dessert wines. The sparkling versions are called Vouvray pétillant or Crémant de Loire. In South Africa, the style is known as steen and is different again: fuller, with more yellow fruit and sometimes some oak aging as well. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Read the label before pouring, because the color does not tell you how dry a chenin is. Sec is dry, demi-sec off-dry, moelleux sweeter, and doux the sweetest; if nothing is stated, the alcohol percentage offers a clue, because a low percentage often indicates that sugar has been left in the wine. A dry bottle pairs with chicken, sea fish, or a piece of aged cheese. Serve a sweet one with blue cheese or a fruit tart, in a small portion and well chilled.
Good to know
Why one grape can handle so many styles
Chenin blanc retains plenty of acidity even when fully ripe. That acidity is why the grape can take on so many forms: in a dry wine, it provides tension and length, while in a sweet wine, it balances the sugar, so a syrupy wine still tastes fresh rather than sticky. In a sparkling wine, that same acidity acts as a backbone beneath the bubbles. A grape with less acidity would be out of balance in at least one of those three forms.
How to tell from the label how dry it is
With French chenin, the sweetness level is usually indicated by a word on the label: sec means dry, demi-sec off-dry, moelleux sweet, and doux the sweetest. Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux du Layon are by definition sweet wines, so the word is often not even included. If there is no indication at all, the alcohol percentage offers a clue: if it remains low, sugar has been left in the wine instead of being fermented into alcohol.
What the woolly texture in a mature bottle is
Bottles with some age develop a soft, woolly aroma often described as lanolin, the fat from sheep's wool. It is not a flaw but a characteristic of maturing chenin, and it usually comes together with honey and a note of dried apple. You do not taste this aspect in a young bottle yet; quince, green apple and chamomile take the lead there.
Steen, the South African name
In South Africa, chenin blanc is called steen, and the grape is planted in many areas there. The style is generally fuller and rounder than in the Loire, with more yellow fruit; some of the wine is aged in wood, which adds even more breadth. You see both names on labels, sometimes even alongside each other.
How much alcohol it contains
It varies greatly by style. A dry chenin is usually roughly between 12 and 13.5 percent. The semi-sweet and sweet wines are lower, because some of the sugar has not fermented into alcohol; these generally range from 9 to 12 percent. The percentage is always stated on the label.
Frequently asked questions
Is chenin blanc dry or sweet?
Both, because both are made from the same grape. It is usually stated on the label: sec is dry, demi-sec is off-dry, moelleux is sweet and doux is the sweetest. Savennières and Vouvray sec are dry, Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume are sweet, and Vouvray is available both dry and semi-sweet, as well as sparkling.
What does chenin blanc taste like?
Quince and green or yellow apple lead the way, with honey and a floral note reminiscent of chamomile. The acidity is high and remains perceptible all the way through the finish. A bottle with some age develops a soft, woolly note often called lanolin, along with dried apple.
Why does this one grape make so many different wines?
Because chenin blanc retains a great deal of acidity even when fully ripe. That acidity keeps a sweet wine fresh rather than sticky, gives a dry wine tension and forms the backbone of a sparkling wine. As a result, the grape works in all three forms, whereas most other grapes would become unbalanced in at least one of them.
At what temperature and in which glass do you serve chenin blanc?
Between 8 and 12 degrees, depending on the style: a dry bottle at around 10 to 12 degrees, a semi-sweet or sweet bottle at around 8 to 10. Use a white wine glass of about 35 centiliters, filled one-third full; for the sparkling version, a glass with a nucleation point is more pleasant.
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