New World: Chenin Blanc
2018 Gold 2 Silver 4 Bronze 2 Commended 12
2017 Gold 2 Silver 7 Bronze 5 Commended 8
Chenin is one of those fabulous grape varieties that is just as happy doing ‘cheap and casual’ as it is doing ‘luxury’; metaphorically, it is equally at home with its feet up on the sofa eating a microwave meal as it is making erudite conversation over Michelin-starred food.
The cheap wines were all you would hope them to be – friendly, accessible and well-priced; move upmarket and you started to get either more restraint or increasingly elegant oak use.
Our tasters found plenty here to get excited about, and the plethora of sub-£10 medals shows that there are wines here that ought to be on the radar of more budget establishments as well as fancier venues.
The only downside? Maybe too many ‘average’ wines this year and not as many medal winners. But those that came through were very good.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘This was a very good flight, right from the entry level to the more expensive, with real Chenin typicity throughout.’ Raphael Thierry, Street XO
‘Quite nice wines to drink, but not necessarily Chenin. There was a lot of winemaking, and not a lot of varietal character.’ Jade Koch, team leader
‘From Chenin I want that freshness and tropical fruit, but I want the texture and creaminess, too, that make them such good food wines. And I found them here, right at the lowest price points, but at the top end too.’ Sue Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn
‘For a seafood restaurant you could find that mineral style here, and those that could be drunk by themselves in a pub, as well as more oaky examples for restaurants or wine bars.’ Davide Dall’Amico, Royal Automobile Club
‘Diverse styles; light and fresh at the cheaper end; then at the top end either oakier, richer styles or fresher, leaner styles. Quality was high across the board, and both styles work.’ Jonathan Kleeman, Four Degree