Anyway, with the consent of the owner, we bring our own wines (paying corkage fees), and I've found over the years that Sherry, Champagne, Loire Chenin Blanc, and other savory white wines go best with the variety of dishes. The other night I had dinner with a few friends at a favorite Japanese restaurant. She was right.

Clos Rougeard's rare (and pricey) Chenin Blanc is one of the most intriguing white wines of the Loire Valley. Been so busy lately with work that I just haven't had time to write here. But I want to share some recent "Whoa," wine and food that really knocked me out. Whoa, this is just amazing wine. More, please. Briny. Refreshing.

It really depends on the wine: Auslesen and old sweet Chenin Blanc can appear really dark and be perfectly fine, for instance. I was given an amazing birthday gift in November, an old bottle of wine by Produttori del Barbaresco, the 1959 Riserva. This is very exciting - how often does one get to drink a bottle that old? But it depends.

You will find many varietals at Waterkloof – Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Mouvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, all very balanced and perfectly delicious! “Dazzling!”. The slopes of Schaapenberg boast a myriad of different aspects but south-facing ones predominate. Few wineries could afford this luxury. News S.

At Backsberg you will find wines in various quality levels, with whites including Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and sparklers as well including Viognier. And of course I love “The Welder,” Arco’s signature sweet late harvest Chenin Blanc. Arco Laamar & Harry Haddon (checked shirt). Backsberg Winery Website.

During a panel section on Chenin Blanc, I remember how he made a clear point between Chenin Blanc and “Steen” which is what this ubiquitous grape had been called in S. The basic message is that Chenin Blanc is a quality grape in its own right, and deserves respect. Chenin Blanc has been S.

Yet before all that we taste the wines of DeMorgenzon, which in addition to the Syrah include a Chenin Blanc (from the original old vines of the estate), Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Winemaker Carl Van der Merwe. This Syrah is absolutely incredible!”. Appelbaum's lovely cat Sally! To learn more, click here. News S.

Chenin blanc is her not-so-secret passion. She has 25 Chenins on the list (sparkling and still), so you’d be hard-pressed to find more Chenin Blanc on any wine list in New York City or, probably, anywhere outside of the Loire. But she’s not a dogmatist. Goes with the neighborhood, I guess. Rouge Tomate.

It would have been better with something like a young Chablis or a Muscadet, perhaps a dry Loire Chenin Blanc. A couple years ago I enjoyed a special meal at Convivio, the now-closed restaurant in Tudor City. The inimitable Levi Dalton was of course the chef somelier. Why would I select my meal instead of asking them to select for me?

Later, I attended the Masterclass called "Chenin & Pinotage—stars of past, present and future". Johan de Villiers, Senior Winemaker for Stellenbosch winery Spier, took us through mini verticals of top selection Chenin Blanc and Pinotage from their super premium Private Collection range. Masterclasses. More Excitement.

The Domaine makes only wines from cabernet franc, with the exception of a white wine from chenin blanc at the Croix Boisée vineyard. How does cabernet franc age? Generally speaking, the wines under $20 retail offer great value and are ready to drink now or in the next few years. I’d tend to agree. Perhaps it needs food.

2010 Xavier Flouret Chenin Blanc (South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch). Fynbos Louis Roos Winemaker with glasses Tielman Roos Viticulturist Mooiplaas. Tasting Notes for February 21 2010. Nose: ned+ intensity, jammy ripe fruit. palate: dry, acid med+ tannin med= and very juicy, body med alc med+ finish med+. 0 views). 0 views

also had a 1999 Clos de Saint Yves Savennieres, bottled under cork, that wasn’t showing too much evolution; instead it was rich, layered and deliciously complex as chenin blanc can be. Florent Baumard makes gorgeous, beautifully precise wines from Savennieres, Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume, among other appellations.

He had previously considered these vines, for administrative purposes, chenin blanc but a “good neighbor&# tipped of the authorities that it was verdelho. All too often, French labels are stuffy. However, when it comes to good vin de table wines, puns and word play abound. It’s labeled simply “G.&#

And even in New York, I’ve encountered wine store clerks who don’t know Chardonnay from Chenin Blanc. Blend $4 billion in deficits with a Tea Party governor. Squeeze in a full Republican legislature. Shake and garnish with consumer bitters. Will this stiff drink, now on the table in Harrisburg, lead to the end of the PLCB?

I’ll leave you to discover his suggestions but I will add a plug for chenin blanc, especially leading producers of Vouvray, such as Foreau and Huet, or Ridge zins. What–you thought blogs were soooo 2005? couple of new blogs that raise good questions or bring good perspectives to the world of wine. wine picks

As we sat down I took out the wine I brought along, the 2008 Pierre Gonon St Joseph Blanc Les Oliviers , $32, Fruit of the Vines Imports. This is a phenomenal wine, and one of the interesting things about it is that honestly, served blind, there would be no way to peg it as Sauvignon Blanc. Thai food for the western palate.

Ken Forrester likes Chenin Blanc. His Stellenbosch vineyards, four miles from the ocean, are planted 50% to Chenin Blanc, also known as Steen locally to people other than Ken (he finds the local name too confusing.) In his opinion, the best Chenin needs cool and sunshine, which may sound like a paradox.

Riesling, top Muscadet, cabernet franc from the Loire, top chenin blanc, some variations of Nebbiolo all are affordable yet age-worthy. It may seem absurd to write a post in praise of mature wine–indeed, it’s one of those things, like sunny days and flowers in bloom, that people aren’t exactly rushing to oppose.

It is the apex of Savennières, and some would say, of the potential of the Chenin Blanc grape (although many Huet lovers would argue for Vouvray). To celebrate a good friend's birthday, the other night we shared a bottle of wine from his birth year, the 1973 Château de la Roche-aux-Moines Clos de la Coulée de Serrant. 0% fruit.

Chenin Blanc. The other day, I was waiting for a train or a plane, flipping through magazines at a newsstand. picked up the August copy of Food & Wine and saw Ray Isle’s fun, simple graphic suggesting changing white wines as the weather heats up. It feels wrong to exclude fun wines such as Muscadet, riesling (!), Heat: 60°.

Thriving on tuffeau–sea floor sediment, 90 million years old–topped with gravel and clay, Chenin Blanc has been grown in Vouvray since the early Middle Ages. Celebrating summer’s swelter, we drank Vouvray at last week’s Wine Club–hoping to capture a bottled breeze from the Loire, just south of Vouvray.

Have a taste of what the site spits out: Fully refined almost corpulent Chenin Blanc. Wine writers, already about as endangered as the Iberian lynx thanks to the sagging media world (not screwcaps), have something new to fear– automatically generated tasting notes ! Hits you with sage, boggling cardboard and bashful mint.

Last week’s New York Times reviewed some wines from Savennières, the Loire appellation that makes often-stunning, always dry versions of chenin blanc. When has the chenin completed its work is then the question? Would you like to see more reviewers noting alcohol levels? Have your say in the latest poll!

Chenin blanc is one of the world’s most underrated grapes. polled them after tasting, and to my amazement, only two people disliked the wine–chenin blanc with such low negatives, it could run for office! But this is chenin through and through. It can tack on decades effortlessly. Consider decanting.

"So how would one remark on the differences between a South African Chenin Blanc and a Loire Chenin Blanc during a blind tasting," one participant wanted to know. The question with regard to blind tasting was that the Chenin Blanc from S. As you may known, both in S. Africans come again soon.

loved how completely woolly the wine was, compared with the flowery fruit and crystalline shimmer of the Savennières - such wonderfully different expressions of Chenin Blanc. I'm starting to believe in the influence of lunar cycles on wine. I'm talking about what I'm finding regarding the days when wine shows well and when it doesn't.

When I thought about eating it this time, I imagined it pairing well with a demi-sec Chenin Blanc, and so we went with one of François Chidaine 's wines. There are some great cheeses produced in New York and Vermont. Hudson Red is not the stinkiest of washed rind cheeses, but it's not tame. And it's completely delicious.

The first was a 2007 Domaine de Cezin, a wine made from the Chenin Blanc grape that grows in a tiny AOC region called Jasnieres in Touraine in the Loire Valley (France). If you know Chenin Blanc, you know that it can be dry, sweet, or off-dry, depending on the mood of the producer and the vintage. Irrigation is mandatory.

Tags: Wine Reviews wine events Cabernet Sauvignon cape classics Chenin Blanc Raats Family Wines south african wines Steen Thelema Wines

So grab a glass of wine, throw another log on the fire, grab a sandwich, channel your inner wine geek, and listen to John opine on the topics of natural wines, zero dosage champagne, some pitfalls of collecting, 2007 vintage for Port and in the Rhone, the nobility of chenin blanc, the Piedmont producer Produttori del Barbaresco and more!

Almost entirely, the wines of Vouvray are from the Chenin Blanc grape and Vouvray is in many ways the apogee of Chenin Blanc. My thoughts drifted to regional rival, Suavignon Blanc, which is considered one of the three “noble&# white grapes (Riesling and Chardonnay are the others). Chenin has the edge.

it was interesting to note that some of us were reminded of Chenin Blanc when drinking these wines, in that they took on a woolly note as they aired out. Is there room for another blind tasting panel? think there is, and I'm trying to organize it. Hopefully it will be of interest to you. Our first theme is Cour-Cheverny. Just mute.

Made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Columbard, and Chenin Blanc, this food-specific blend was the finalist in a quest by two Maine wine guys to find the best California white to pair with the Northeast's famed lobster. The result is the perfect compliment for a robust lobster bisque. likey

In discovery, it was found that the lost wine had 20% Chenin Blanc purchased at wholesale at a price way below what labeled grape would have cost. Should wine lot numbers appear on the labels of American wines as they do in Europe? Sometimes it will be only a slight difference in character as in the Ste. They should.

Savennières wines are world-class whites from Chenin Blanc, wines with enormous cellaring potential, but they are wines that can be austere in their youth, like a barren moonscape - nothing but rocks and sand. The Savennières AOC is a small appellation, and a small group of producers makes most of the wine that hits US retail shelves.

For me, the classic pairing is Sauvignon Blanc. Not from Cheverny, though, as those wines, while tasty, can be more akin to the New Zealand pungent style of Sauvignon Blanc, which I think when combined with asparagus is simply too much cat pee and grass for any household to deal with in one evening. The jury is still out on that one.

was hosting a wine dinner and I asked him where I could purchase a dry Chenin Blanc with some age on it, and he generously offered this wine as a gift. I have no statement of ethics anywhere on my blog, but I'm going to add one today. What spurred this? Probably the biggest thing is the dust-up on Dr. Vino 's site. doubt it.

Many people consider these to be the finest Chenin Blancs from the Loire Valley and in the world. also love the Chenins of Montlouis and Savennieres, but I don't want to quibble - there is no question that the wines of Domaine Huet are among the very best Chenin Blancs in the world. We loved this wine.

Nothing says good times like putting indigestible things that you put in your mouth–or a Chenin Blanc rosé (?!?) A new series of wines from Indiana claims to be sugar free, using a non-caloric sweetner instead for all their wine sweetening needs. Just to crank it up a notch, they also note that it “prevents tooth decay.&#

The Chenin Blancs from these places have never been as sought after as those from Vouvray, Montlouis, or Savennières. Of Bellivière's wines, the Jasnières are more accessible, more typical in their Chenin Blanc character, and more expensive. And there hasn't exactly been a plethora of inspired grower/producers either.

Dry Loire Valley Chenin Blanc. ?Savennieres? Anjou or Chinon Blanc? Raffault or Baudry Chinon Blanc. Nicolas Les Clous Blanc (chard and chenin mix. On the other hand, I am partial to blanc de blancs. ?For Dry Loire Valley Chenin Blanc. ?Savennieres? Anjou or Chinon Blanc?

The dry wine is an excellent expression of the chenin blanc grape. On a trip this past summer, my family and I got stranded in Chicago overnight because of airline delays. We called a friend who was able to take us in when the airline would not; she put us up even though the delay was entirely their fault (canceled flight).

Sancerre in particular is just overflowing with brilliant winemakers, and there are tons of great sauvignon blanc wines being made in less well-known places like Menetou-Salon and Quincy as well. And let me be the first to tell you, not every high alcohol wine is a 1947 Cheval Blanc in the making- no matter what you read elsewhere!

Recently it was our turn to host wine group and I chose Loire Chenin Blancs as the theme. And this is an interloper, a wine made from the Romorantin grape, not a Chenin Blanc. I'm in a really great wine group now, and great ones are hard to find, trust me. And because our wine tastes are quite diverse. Beautiful stuff.

We stared with two half-glasses of the excellent 2006 Ren é Mosse Anjou , an oxidatively delicious Chenin Blanc. I'm not going to sugar-coat it for you, folks. grew up here and I understand its appeal, but New York City makes me crazy sometimes. There are other people waiting, you know - you can leave if you don't like it. So we left.

went for the Bubbles, the Beaujolais, the Cab Franc, and the Chenin Blanc. The Blanc de Blancs was opened as I was standing there and needed time to come together. Right near the Bubbly table sat two unattended bottles of Dard et Ribo white wine, both from 2006, a Crozes-Hermitage Blanc and a Saint-Joseph Blanc.

might also purchase two of the Sommelier series Chenin Blanc glasses with what's left of my retirement account Once upon a time I owned six Riedel red Burgundy glasses, the Vinum series. Or so says Riedel , anyway. like nice wine glasses as much as the next guy. And shape matters too. And I want a tapered shape to help trap the aromas.

Last night I had the arduous task of tasting through some wines made from Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley with some contemporaries. You know, the life of a wine industry professional is real tough. We started with a sparkling wine, the Vouvrey Brut, Pinon NV. Following the "bubbly" we tried 5 still wines.

Most recently, a sec-tendre Chenin Blanc with the McDuff - yes, this is that dish , that time prepared with zucchini and marjoram. So this time I went with a Savennières, a beautiful dry Chenin Blanc from the master of biodynamics, Nicolas Joly. Whaddayagonnado? When I do it well it marries savory and herbal flavors.

have this thing for pairing blood-rich cuts of meat like hangar steak with full bodied Chenin Blanc. BrooklynLady likes Chenin Blanc too.so There's something about the way high quality Chenin from the Loire compliments the pure mineral bloodiness of hangar steak. It's not the heat, it's the humidity that gets you.

Then again, keep in mind that I'm not terribly familiar with what good quality Chenin Blanc from a good vintage smells or tastes like when it matures. In a way, it's silly of me to have so little understanding about the development Loire Valley wine over the long term. Another time and another post. Kind of a ragoût, anyway. Simple.

would mention the Raymond Boulard house, as well as some marvellous vintage from Lallier, but also a nice dry Chenin blanc from Jacky Blot. Then a cheese platter, mainly sheep and goat cheeses in this area, and you can dig into a Jura non oxidised white wine, or a very iodined great white from Grenache blanc and gris from Roussillon.

The 2007 Mosaico , for example, is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Muscat, Gewurtztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Friulano.but all from one specific vineyard site - the Sylvanus Vineyard on their estate in Bridgehampton. And here I will admit that I don't understand the fuss over Paumanok wines, even their famous Chenin Blanc.

Cousin cultivates Gamay, Grolleau, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Chenin Blanc - there is something for everyone in this portfolio. NV Cousin-Luduc Saumur Brut , $26, Jenny & Francois Selections. This sparkling wine is no exception. Shouldn't that indicate a low pressure sparkling wine?

The 2008 "Lyric" from Nederburg winery is a blend of 51% Sauvignon Blanc, 26% Chenin blanc (a varietal very common in S. This wine had a VERY lively floral bouquet, showing typical Sauv Blanc grassiness & grapefruit rind. I firmly believe that there are enough generic or Italian/French wine bars in the city.  PERFECT!

Ben Hagan, one of the wine buyers at Slope Cellars in Park Slope, Brooklyn recommends (Slope Cellars prices listed) : Whites: 2006 Caves de Saumur Saumur Les Pouches, $13, LVDH Imports (100% Chenin Blanc). 2005 Kuentz-Bas Alsace Blanc, $12, Kermit Lynch Imports (Blend of, in order, Sylvaner, Riesling and Pinot Blanc, Muscat).

began in a French table area and tried some Sancerres (made from Sauvignon Blanc), some white Burgundys (made from Chardonnay) and some white blends. An under appreciated grape here in the Western world is Chenin Blanc. Domaine Francois Pinon from the Loire Valley makes some demi-sec (semi sweet) wines from Chenin blanc.

Mauzac is the grape traditionally used to make sparkling wine in Limoux, but Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc have become standard too. figured that the wine would be better with food - the blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc and the Tendre designation (between dry and off-dry) just said "hors d'oeuvre" to me.

I'm guessing that people will eventually look to this as a benchmark for 2005 Loire Valley Chenin Blanc. I've been checking in on my 2005 Loire wines lately, just to see how things are going. Loire-lovers have been touting 2005 as a great vintage, as good as 05 in Burgundy or Bordeaux. Even so, the quality is so obvious.

Like all Vouvray, this wine is made using Chenin Blanc grapes. Probably because I don't find Chenin Blanc to be as satisfying as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir when acting as the base for a sparkling wine. NV François Pinon Vouvray Brut , $21, Louis/Dressner Selections. This sparkler from Pinon was a lovely surprise.

I was fine with that as a nice South African Chenin Blanc seemed like a nice wine to start the evening with.  This past Wednesday I visited two wine bars.  One was with a young woman after work and the other was with yet another young woman somewhat later in the evening. I was greeted warmly by two people that worked there. 

Its hot, it's dry and they do Chenin Blanc and invented pinotage. Let's talk South Africa. That sounds simple enough. Done.right. Wrong! And pinotage only scratches the surface of the history of viticulture in South Africa. Laws were already put in place by the wine growers commission named the KLW and yields were controlled.

The white is called Breze and is 100% Chenin Blanc. have never tasted this wine - it retails at over $70 and I just haven't gone there yet on a Chenin. If I were ever to spend that kind of dough on a Chenin, it would be either this wine or a Joly Coul é e de Serrant. This retails for approximately $35. Bordeaux?

This one is a blend of 70/30 Chenin Blanc to Chardonnay. Feel like Champagne every night? Actually, I feel like Champagne most days with lunch too, and I'm not completely adverse to it with breakfast on the weekends. We cannot give in to our every whim though, can we? So instead I'm trying to keep it to a weekly indulgence.

Lenn can tell you about the producers who make wine that truly reflects climate and terroir, he can tell you about experiments planting Chenin Blanc and other grapes new to the region, and he can tell you how Long Island wines improve each year as wine makers hone their craft. The back roads of Pernand-Vergelesses? definitely got it.

love French wine, but the good doctor ruled out what he called "the big six grapes" from France, namely Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. Chenin Blanc is, in my opinion, the superstar white grape of the Loire Valley. But it's the Chenin Blanc wines that are so shattering to me.

White wines labeled Cheverny may contain Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc, but every white Cheverny I have encountered is primarily a Sauvignon Blanc with a bit of Chard blended in. I don't usually like to make pronouncements because it's just too easy to be wrong or to change my mind. It costs $13.50

Here are a few more inexpensive sparkling wines I've been enjoying lately: NV Charles de Fere Blanc de Blanc Reserve , $8 (Astor Wine and Spirits). People say that sparkling wines are among the most versatile wines. They pair perfectly with basically any food, from delicate and gossamer smoked salmon slices to rich and saucy BBQ.

know about the creation of pinotage and other varietals like Chenin Blanc that are doing well there but I don't know the history of the area to well. One coolest thing about life in New York City is central park. It is huge. But the best part is Sheep's Meadow. It always amazes me how quiet the city seems from here. and some munchies.

wanted a Sauvignon Blanc to pair with this meal but I realized that I had not even one bottle in the house. This is not only a window that allows for a peek into their more serious wines each year, it is an excellent dry and mineral Chenin Blanc, a bright and delicious wine that loves seafood. Light straw color.

White grape is still the eloquent and majestic Chenin Blanc, appellations are called Coteaux de Loir and Jasnieres. Its been a really good wine drinking month. 2001 Domaine Rollin Pernand-Vergelesses , $30 (375ml). Drank at a restaurant, so retail would be about $12-15, I imagine. This wine was thin, shrill, and green. California (huh?

Sancerre, the darling of wine bars everywhere a few years ago, is made from Sauvignon Blanc. Many producers say that demi-sec (off dry) is the best expression of Chenin Blanc. There are as of this moment, 96 comments on the companion piece in his blog. That's pretty intense. Most are from 2005, a wonderful vintage. Enjoy

Montlouis, like Vouvray, is a 100% Chenin Blanc appellation, producing mineral driven wines in dry, demi-sec or off dry, and vintage permitting, moelleux, or sweet wines. Lenn at Lenndevours started Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) over two years ago, an online tasting and sharing of notes and experiences with wine. cents. Next time.

We nibbled on unsalted almonds and toasted with a bottle of 1998 Pierre Peters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc Brut Millesime. love these old Chenin Blancs. We went a little over the top for this holiday version of Wine Dinner. BrooklynLady and I put together the rest of the wine. think I need to try more Champagne.

Cheverny wines are a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, with the Sauvignon Blanc the primary grape at about 70%. Like the great Chenin Blanc grape, also a daughter of the Loire Valley, Romorantin might show best in its demi-sec (off-dry) form. I hesitate to do this, because right now it's still basically a secret.

have mentioned Huet Vouvray before and I love their wines, all made from the chenin blanc grape. Jess and Mike hosted Wine Dinner last night in their lovely South Slope townhouse. It was somewhat of a last minute affair, as new babies and other commitments prevented much advance planning. And the home made spaetzle.a

The entire back wall is devoted to Loire whites, including many differe t chenin blancs from Savennieres, Vouvray, and somethimes the lesser known Montlouis sur Loire, Coteaux du Loir and Jasnieres. The 2005 vintage is supposed to be so good in many French wine regions, and the Loire Valley is one of them.

Savennieres is one of the great Loire Valley appellations, producing amazing white wines made from the chenin blanc grape. The wines are usually dry with pronounced minerality, and when well made, offer beautiful stone fruit and honey flavors. Many wines made in Savennieres can improve for decades with cellaring. Did you notice that?

It was a 1992 Savennieres from a producer whose name I cannot remember now, but I tried it because it seemed like a good opportunity to taste an older Chenin Blanc without breaking the bank - $27 for the bottle. After all, I've never tried an old Chenin Blanc that's not a dessert wine. These wines can age for decades.

The article mentioned that the Loire, because it is known mostly for its Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc wines cab franc has seen a decline on an already low export rate. So it was time to explore France via the east village. One night last week Gal, Mr. Wolf and myself popped two bottles of French wine. It was worth the risk.