The demand for a crisp white is growing.
Demand is growing for a crisp white that is as yet a rare wine from our vintners.
Chenin blanc. Gorgeous stuff. A white wine capable of producing lovely floral, apple-like aromas and tangy, tropical flavours, often edged with almond, honey and fresh-cut hay.
Wine legend Jancis Robinson proclaims it "probably the world's most versatile grape variety" because of its high natural acidity and excellent ageing potential, and winemakers can make it into any style imaginable.
It is the classic grape of Vouvray, in France's Loire Valley, where it's been cultivated for nearly 1300 years, and it's responsible (in its dry, medium, sweet and sparkling forms) for more than a decent-sized cluster of wines in Neil Beckett's book 1001 Wines You Must Try Before You Die.
South Africa and California have more chenin blanc planted than France does, mainly because of its reliably healthy yields of crisp white wine even when temperatures are hot. But, sadly, much of the fruit goes into bland commercial blends.
Here, in Godzone, it's a different story. Despite having a minute amount of chenin blanc in the ground (plantings have nosedived from 372ha in 1983 to just 2ha in 2014), the minuscule amounts made are darn good.
In the South Island, lovely examples are coming from Marlborough's Forrest Estate, Astrolabe, Sea Level and Mt Difficulty in Central Otago, while in the north, look for magic from Matawhero, Esk Valley, Margrain and Millton, the latter three consistently impressive for over a decade and, in Millton's case, over 30 years.
"We didn't exactly choose chenin. It chose us," explains Strat Canning of Margrain Vineyard. "The original vines (now in their 34th or 36th year, depending on who you believe) were planted by Stan and Rosemary Chifney, who were one of the first pioneers of the Martinborough district.
"Somehow, old Stan, a recently retired British microbiologist had got the idea the Martinborough district would be famous for chenin blanc and cabernet sauvignon. He got it half right."
The Chifneys' property was beside the original Margrain block, and when Stan died in 1998 and the family put the business on the market, Margrain snapped it up and took over the vineyard in time for the 2000 harvest. Strat had little experience with chenin, but he'd tried wines from the Loire and decided that since the fruit came in with "rampant acidity", they'd leave in a nice dollop of residual sugar.
Margrain actually labelled the first couple of vintages "Late Harvest". Sadly, that first vintage sold quite slowly. "We were somewhat disenamoured and actually pulled one block out." Big mistake! Over the next few vintages, the wine built up a kind of cult following and in 2008 they planted just under another half hectare.
"I love the strong acidity, which cuts through that level of sugar, and the strong apple and lanolin flavours. It's crisp enough to drink as an aperitif but goes great with a creamy cauliflower and blue cheese soup or even a rich paella," he says.
"Twice-cooked pork belly with master stock cream or chicken and Asian spices" are the ideal food matches for chenin blanc, says James Millton, of Millton Vineyard in Gisborne, who, at the age of 20 visited the Loire.
"In 1978, chenin blanc was planted at our Opou Vineyard to supply Corbans Wines," James explains. "This was used to blend with Muller Thurgau to give more of a neutral aroma but a lot of acidity and volume. It was an old UC1 clone cropping at 14 tonnes per acre, big bunches, big volume, 14 degree brix, 14g/l acid. In 1984, we started producing chenin on our own accord."
It was called May Harvest and after the fruit was processed they sat around the press and drank a 1959 Moulin Touchais Anjou from the Loire, which created an epiphany moment. It didn't take long (three years) before Millton's chenins began winning gold medals and trophies and being compared to Vouvray's finest).
"We now have ENTAV clones 220 and 880, which look to be producing a much higher quality of fruit and wine. In 1995, I did a vintage sabbatical in Vouvray at Clos Baudoin and when I told them I loved chenin they thought I was crazy."
Considering James grows it under organic and biodynamic practices, conventional wisdom would say it must be a challenge. "But if you look after your dirt the rest is easy" James explains. "You need to prune it properly, thin the shoots (we remove all shoots facing from 2 0'clock to 10 0'clock). We remove leaves but try not to overexpose the fruit."
So now, he says, they grow chenin because it's considered one of the top five classic white varieties, it crops adequately, has excellent bud burst from cane-pruned vines and grows "straight up', making canopy management quite easy. "This degree of order is superb for a left-handed Virgo such as I. We look for green apple, red apple, pear, quince, melon, honeysuckle, lanolin, beeswax and honey. I love it because it has an appealing mouthwatering character that creates a sense of wonder. The acidity makes your mouth salivate and the lanolin character offers a feeling of warmth."
These days, 40 per cent of their production is chenin blanc and right now they have a 2013 Crazy by Nature Dry Flint Chenin Blanc, a 2013 Millton Te Arai Vineyard Chenin Blanc and a 2009 Clos de Ste Anne Chenin Blanc La Bas, which is bottle-aged for three years.
"It's been commented by James Halliday that our chenin is the best example of its style in the world outside of the Loire Valley," says James, who is thrilled at the increasing amount of Loire chenin finding its way here via importers such as Maison Vauron and Negociants.
"We persevere with it because at last it is being seen as a classic and, most of all, it is my preferred drink throughout the day."
MARGRAIN MARTINBOROUGH CHENIN BLANC 2013 $30 Saucy scents of apple strudel, nashi pear and summer flowers. Lipsmackingly tangy and concentrated in the mouth, complete with a splash of sweetness and a solid backbone of acidity which signals good cellaring prospects. Taut and tasty. www.margrain.co.nz
MILLTON TE ARAI CHENIN BLANC 2013 $28 1/2Lovely, complex, slightly smoky aromas of freshly-baled hay, white nectarine, wet stones and a deliciously dry, chalky texture on the finish. There's a succulence and juiciness to this wine that I really like. Their Crazy By Nature Dry Flint Chenin Blanc 2013 ($22) is also really impressive. www.millton.co.nz