The news is out. A unique global conference dedicated to the noble grape variety Chenin blanc takes place in November in Stellenbosch. This fact alone is cause for excitement considering it is only the second time after its inauguration in France that the historic event is to be held.
South Africa being home to most of the world’s Chenin blanc vineyards, however, underlines the importance of the Chenin Blanc International Congress. Chenin blanc is also the most widely planted cultivar in the country, which implies a corresponding contribution to the livelihoods of thousands of South African farming communities and the fiscus.
Furthermore, while the cultivar’s spiritual homeland is the famous Loire Valley in France, it has become truly international. Chenin blanc now graces the winelands of 23 countries and has become the world’s 26th most planted variety, covering somewhere between 33 000 ha and 36 000 ha.
The spread of locations and diversity of terroirs has resulted in a vast spread of expressions, fuelling interest in the cultivar from winemakers to consumers.
“Chenin blanc has so many nuances – depending on exactly where it is grown and so we come to realise, with some certainty that Chenin blanc is quite easily the very best ‘translator of terroir’,” says Ken Forrester, chairman of South Africa’s Chenin Blanc Association, organiser of the congress this year.
“That fact that the translation can be so subtle, like a beautiful piece of music written for piano and sensitively transposed for violin, it’s exactly in this way that Chenin blanc takes on the nuances of unique flavours and tells us about where it is planted.
“Taste the steely, minerality of Savennières or the rich almost honey and apple character of Vouvray, the crushed and baked apple of Stellenbosch and the almost waxy mineral purity of Swartland, and hundreds of variants in different soils and climate and elevation that occur in between!
“This is the true complexity of Chenin which makes it so special, so unique, as well as the incredible potential for ageability.”
It is perhaps this chameleon-character of the cultivar combined with its suitability for South African conditions that has allowed it to thrive since first arriving on our shores. It was among the first wine grape varieties imported by Cape of Good Hope Commander Jan van Riebeeck.
Here, it produced a generous yield that suited diverse uses including distillation. Today, this resilience may be appreciated not only by the popularity of Chenin blanc, but also the size and value of its elders.
Chenin blanc bunch, clone SN220.
Under South Africa’s unique Old Vine Project that seeks to preserve heritage vineyards older than 35 years, Chenin blanc comprises by far the most hectares per cultivar in South Africa – as of 2021, 2 074 ha, followed by 429 ha of Sauvignon blanc.
Nonetheless, South African Chenin has, as the rest of the world, consistently acknowledged its French heritage. Cultivating interest in these wines is after all, an endeavour of all that grow them and especially so at its birthplace.
This was where the seeds of the congress were first sown.
The South African Chenin Blanc Association was formed in 2000 and ever since there has been co-operation and networking with Loire producers. In 2003 they collaborated to present the Le Rendez-vous du Chenin at Fontevraud Abbey, Loire Valley, France under the auspices of the Union des Oenologues de France. And in September 2016, a research exchange and networking meeting was held at Domaine du Closel in Savennières, France for discussions between the Chenin Blanc Association, the Stellenbosch University and various French research organisations.
South Africa was represented by Dr Hélène Nieuwoudt, a senior researcher, Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Stellenbosch University and Ina Smith, Manager of the Chenin Blanc Association at the meeting organised by Evelyne de Pontbriand, proprietor of Domaine du Closel, Savennières. Following this, a meeting took place in Savennières in November 2016, culminating in the creation of the Académie du Chenin, officially supported by The City of Angers. Evelyne de Pontbriand (Domaine du Closel Château des Vaults) was appointed as president of the Académie du Chenin.
In 2017, Evelyne visited South Africa to meet executive members of the Chenin Blanc Association. Two years later, the first International Chenin Congress – organised as a biennial event – was held in Angers. A total of 45 South African researchers and producers attended.
“L’Académie du Chenin is particularly pleased to support the second International Chenin Congress,” says Evelyne. “It has been 370 years since Chenin cuttings arrived with Jan van Riebeeck, who turned to France for vine supplies.”
According to Evelyne, a free trade agreement in 1597 had abolished taxes on the movement of freight and shipping on the Loire, which attracted the interest of Dutch merchants. Another attractive aspect for them was the fact that the middle Loire region was strongly Protestant.
“In the 1650s to 1680s, the Dutch settled along the river and dominated the river traffic, and they particularly appreciated the sweetness of the wines of the Coteaux de Loire, du Layon and de Saumur, at a time when white wines were generally very acidic and sugar a rare luxury food.
“Some of these Dutch settled locally and became wine merchants, even exporting to the rest of Europe. We can assume that the VOC called upon its fellow countrymen from the Loire to provide it with vine cuttings.”
Fast-forward to the modern day and Evelyne says climate and problems of the vineyards of the Loire and South Africa are “sometimes dissimilar”. “This congress will highlight these different views on rootstocks, disease resistance, yeasts, winemaking practices, but also the tastes of consumers, the expression of the place and the world markets.
“Finally, we will discover another culture, other landscapes, another gastronomy, a welcome in magnificent properties with an exceptional wine tourism.”
At its heart, the 2nd International Congress of Chenin Blanc will be a gathering of academics, wine producers, viticulturists, wine tourism operators, wine writers, sommeliers, trade and influencers to explore and learn, taste and debate, network and also enjoy the unique expressions of Chenin blanc from around the world.
Designed to be interactive and multidisciplinary, the programme includes presentations on cutting edge research, technical tastings, engaging vineyard tours and unique wine and food experiences, born from authentic and culturally diverse contexts and landscapes.
A host of organisations have teamed up not only to make the congress a reality, but also to magnify its impact. Among them is Winetech – the non-profit company responsible for wine industry research and development, knowledge transfer, innovation, and learning and development via a statutory levy from the South African wine industry. Winetech will publish papers presented at the congress in Winetech Technical in the WineLand magazine.
The organisation has enjoyed long-standing collaboration with the Chenin Blanc Association. “Winetech has funded a number of research projects on Chenin blanc over the past few years and I encourage stakeholders to read more about the outcomes on our website (www.winetech.co.za),” says Executive Manager Gerard Martin. “The research completed is of a high standard and definitely contributes to the long-term success of the cultivar in South Africa.”
It is in this hindsight that Gerard says he looks forward to the event. “We value our partnership with the Chenin Blanc Association and know the conference will be very successful.”
During the three-day event, participants will interact with members of the South African and French wine industries, but also an international audience encompassing the total Chenin blanc fraternity from countries such as Australia, California, India, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Israel.
It simultaneously provides a forum to expand knowledge and stimulate further research into the grape, and explore Chenin blanc’s varied history, terroir, viticultural and vinicultural protocols and techniques, and its role in wine tourism.
Participants will have the chance to experience the diverse regions where Chenin blanc thrives both physically, through a series of tours, and virtually, through presentations.
Presentations will also include unique and new research, such as a genomic study of representative clones from both South Africa and France that seeks to understand the somatic mutations that occurred over time, to provide a scientific basis for intra-varietal diversity.
Chenin blanc harvesting at Ken Forrester wines. (Photo: Louw Strydom.)
Top-level guest speakers for the Chenin congress
A panel of 15 high-level speakers has been assembled. They include:
- Dr Jamie Goode, a UK-based wine writer, lecturer, wine judge and author, with a PhD in plant biology.
- Gabriel Lepousez, a French neuroscientist and an international expert on sensory perception and brain plasticity.
- Prof Johan Burger, a Professor in the Genetics Department at the Stellenbosch University where he teaches molecular genetics.
- Prof Stephanie Midgley, who holds an MSc(Agric) in Horticultural Science from Stellenbosch University, and a PhD in Botany from the University of Cape Town (UCT).
Congress participants will also hear from viticulturist Rosa Kruger, Patrice This, Virginie Gordain, Dr Tara Southey, Prof Wessel du Toit, Prof Melané Vivier, Talitha Venter, Marisah Nieuwoudt, Dr Jeanne Brand, Dr Etienne Neethling, Dr Hélène Nieuwoudt and Dr Jonathan Steyn.
A visit to the oldest vineyard
Among the highlights is a visit to the site of South Africa’s oldest Chenin blanc vineyard (below), which grows in decomposed granite and comprising a mere one hectare of vines. Much of it planted in the 1920s, at the foot of Bothmaskop Mountain in Stellenbosch’s Jonkershoek Valley. Located close to the congress venue, this vineyard visit is presented in partnership with the Old Vine Project.
The tour will provide an overview of the significance, history and viticulture of the vineyard as an interactive experience. Tastings of its wine alongside others, such as the equally famous Chenin blanc from the famous Skurfberg, will be offered at the congress venue.
South Africa’s oldest Chenin blanc vineyard, Mev Kirsten vineyard in Stellenbosch. (Photo: Hanneke Schutte.)
Delving deep
A masterclass session at this year’s congress will be an exposé of Chenin blanc wines from around the world. These will include examples from its native French Loire Valley with its various appellations, as well as exciting expressions from New World regions. Local regions from which wines have been selected are amongst others Stellenbosch, Swartland, Breedekloof and Franschhoek. These will be compared to Chenin blanc wines from overseas in a detailed discussion led by both stalwarts and younger voices of the industry.
The venue
The congress takes place at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), which itself is an important location with many historic links to South Africa’s wine industry.
At its heart is an Old Cape Victorian farmhouse that dates from 1820. In this setting congress participants will have the opportunity to sample Chenin blanc wines from across South Africa and the world.
The Chenin Blanc International Congress takes place in Stellenbosch from November 1 to 3. For more information, visit https://www.chenincongress.com/ or contact the South African Chenin Blanc Association on e-mail: chenincongress@gmail.com or tel +27 (0)82 467 4331.
– For more information, contact Nolene Nel at nolenenel@icloud.com.
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