Chenin Blanc

Loire's chameleon — bone-dry to honeyed-sweet, including sparkling.

Chenin Blanc is the Loire Valley's most versatile grape, capable of bone-dry whites (Savennières), off-dry to sweet (Vouvray, Montlouis), botrytized dessert wines (Quarts de Chaume), and sparkling Crémant de Loire. South Africa is the largest producer by volume; old-vine bush plantings in Stellenbosch and Swartland have driven a quality renaissance. The grape's signature is searing acid balanced by waxy honey, quince, and chamomile — a profile that ages remarkably well, sometimes for decades.