The best wines from the Global Chenin Blanc Masters 2024

Chenin Blanc is remarkably versatile with the variety producing some of the finest and most age-worthy sweet and dry white wines, as well as sparkling expressions. Here are the best wines from this year’s Global Chenin Blanc Masters competition.

Tasting notes and food matching are provided by Patricia Stefanowicz MW.

Please click here to see all the medallists from the competition.

NEDERBURG HERITAGE HEROES THE ANCHORMAN OLD VINE CHENIN BLANC 2023

• Producer: Nederburg Wines
• Region: Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 14.38%
• Approx. retail price: £15
• Medal: Gold

Certified as a South African Old Vine Project wine, this wine from Nederburg is sourced from vines that are close to 50 years old, and the grapes come from Swartland and Agter-Paarl. The wine, pale lemon-gold in colour, shows lemon custard, golden apple and apricot fruit, with a honey note and cinnamon and clove spices from well-judged use of oak. Dry, mid-weight, the palate flavours are balanced by lively acidity and well-integrated, creamy oak. Nicely focused and having good length, this wine will be an excellent pairing for braised chicken breasts with a Thai-inspired sweet red pepper, chilli-accented sauce.

SPIER GOOD NATURED ORGANIC CHENIN BLANC 2023

• Producer: Spier Wine Farm Management (Pty) Ltd.
• Region: Coastal Region
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• Abv: 12.5%
• Approx. retail price: £12.00
• Medal: Master

From its late 17^th century Cape beginnings, Spier, in the 21^st century, has embraced sustainability as its mantra. ‘Good Wine from a Good Place’ is more than a ‘strap-line’. From Spier’s carefully-tended, bio-diverse vineyards in Coastal South Africa comes this fabulous ‘Good-Natured’ Organic Chenin Blanc. The wine shows a pale lemon-yellow hue and pineapple, lemon zest and custard aromatics with hints of flat-leaf parsley and forest honey. The elegant, light-bodied palate is linear, well-defined and intensely-flavoured framed by bracing acidity and a hint of creamy lees. The lingering finish has a touch of astringency adding grip and texture. No hurry, the wine will develop and improve. A recommended match is poached salmon with cucumber and sweet red pepper aspic.

MAISON DARRAGON LE HAUT DE RUETTES 2023

• Producer: Maison Darragon
• Region: Loire Valley
• Country: France
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• Abv: 13.0%
• Approx. retail price: £16.90
• Medal: Gold

With a history dating back to 1761, this domaine has always focussed on Chenin in Vouvray. On calcareous soils with clay and limestone, the ‘tuffeau’ is perfect for Chenin Blanc grapes. This wine, pale lemon-coloured, displays pineapple and cooked golden apple fruit with lemon zest, acacia honey and tangerine notes. Medium-dry (13g/l r.s.), the palate is mid-weight with crisp acidity balancing the sweetness. Well-defined, accented by stony minerality and having a long finish, the wine will pair nicely with the Basque mountain cheese, Ossau Iraty, or freshly-caught river fish from the local river Loiret. (Patricia Stefanowicz MW)

BIG HEAD WINES RAW CHENIN BLANC 2022

• Producer: Big Head Wines
• Region: Niagara Lakeshore
• Country: Canada
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 13.9%
• Approx. retail price: £29
• Medal: Gold

Hand-crafted, this is a ‘take-a-stepback’ style of wine. The RAW grapes from the vineyards are hand-picked and gently handled, then fermented with indigenous yeasts. Aged in concrete vats, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, but not much movement and no filtration before bottling. The resultant RAW Chenin Blanc is a textural and delicious wine, nearly dry, rounded, with hints of positive botrytis in the honey, apricot and orange marmalade aromatics. Searing acidity balances the palate flavours of melon, pink grapefruit and lemon custard. This wine, with some development now, will work with grilled salmon from the barbecue.

DURBANVILLE HILLS COLLECTORS RESERVE THE CAPE GARDEN CHENIN BLANC 2023

• Producer: Durban Hills Winery
• Region: Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• Abv: 13.5%
• Approx. retail price: £16.oo
• Medal: Gold

On gently sloping sites in the Durbanville ward of the Western Cape, these grapes have a temperate climate due to the breezes that drift inland from False Bay and Table Bay. Slow ripening makes all the difference in perfection of the grapes. The wine, pale lemon-coloured, displays custard and golden apples, honey and vanilla oak. The bright fruit is framed by lively acidity and layers of flavours—yellow fruit, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom—echoing the aromatics. Creamy-textured and lingering, the wine is a good pairing for seared salmon with herbs and a splash of lemon.

KOELENHOF WINERY STELLENBOSCH 1679 BUSH VINE CHENIN BLANC 2023

• Producer: Koelenhof Winery
• Region: Stellenbosch
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• Abv: 14.0%
• Approx. retail price: £17.00
• Medal: Gold

Third generation Andrew de Vries is now Managing Director of this spectacular wine producing company. The vines for this wine were planted in 1982 in red and dark yellow decomposed granite soils. This wine, very youthful, has a pale lemon hue and white peach, apple and pear fruit overlaid with tangerine, honey and gentle vanilla oak. The lightish weight palate is showing its youth in its linear style with lively acidity and great concentration leading to a long finish. The wine has plenty of time to mature and develop complexity, but it is perfect to serve now with Colston Basset stilton cheese and golden apples, pears, grapes and ripe figs as accompaniments.

DOMAINE BONNIGAL-BODET HUIS CLOS 2022

• Producer: Domaine Bonnigal-Bodet
• Region: Touraine-Amboise, Loire Valley
• Country: France
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• Abv: 13.0%
• Approx. retail price: £30.oo
• Medal: Gold

Established in 1927, Domaine Bonnigal-Bodet is the estate of Jean-Baptiste Bonnigal and Stéphane Bodet, who now own and manage the vineyards, based on chalky-clay soil in Touraine-Amboise. Chenin Blanc is surely their forté. A second Gold Award winner in this Global Chenin Masters, ‘Huis Clos’, comes from a small enclosed parcel, and is exquisite. Mid-gold in hue, the wine displays ripe pear and yellow apples with vanilla buttercream, lemon zest, and gentle cinnamon and nutmeg spice accents. Mid-weight, the palate flavours are framed by lively acidity. An elegant wine with definition and good length, it will pair nicely with Loire Valley cheeses or a creamy pasta dish.

DALKEITH KALMOESFONTEIN CHENIN BLANC 2023

• Producer: Dalkeith
• Region: Swartland
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• Abv: 13.6%
• Approx. retail price: £35.00
• Medal: Gold

Dalkeith is Graham Weerts’ passion project. From dry-farmed bush vines more than 50 years old on the Kalmoesfontein farm, the wine—and its—label are inspired by the local Kgalagadi Park water hole. Mid-gold in colour, there are tropical fruits (Galia melon, pineapple, guava) accented by creamy oak, honey and orange zest. Dry and medium-bodied, the palate is beautifully integrated and textured with bracing acidity giving structure. A good food pairing is pumpkin baked with gruyère, cream and rosemary. (

KOELENHOF WINERY STELLENBOSCH 1679 BUSH VINE CHENIN BLANC 2022

• Producer: Koelenhof Winery
• Region: Stellenbosch
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 13.5%
• Approx. retail price: £16
• Medal: Master

Started when a group of Stellenbosch growers formed a cooperative in 1941, Koelenhof prospered under the direction of Pieter Hugo de Vries, a talented grower and winemaker. The 1679 wine range is named after the year when the town of Stellenbosch was established and some of the first Chenin Blanc grapes were planted in the Cape growing area by Dutch settlers. This wine, pale gold in colour, shows concentrated pineapple, galia melon and tangerine fruit, accented by creamy oak and a touch of wet wool. The ripe flavours on the palate are beautifully integrated and balanced by bracing acidity. Complex and lingering, the wine is a good pairing for a summer salad of artichoke hearts, pink grapefruit slices and black olives served on watercress, with parsley and thyme.

PERDEBERG DRY LAND COLLECTION CHENIN BLANC 2023 

• Producer: Perdeberg Wines Pty Ltd.
• Region: Paarl
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• Abv: 14.0%
• Approx. retail price: £16.99
• Medal: Gold

Another top-class wine from Paarl, grown on decomposed granite soils, this wine is an excellent example of South African Chenin Blanc. Pale gold in hue, the wine is aromatic with apricots, orange blossoms and honey with toasty oak nuances adding complexity. Dry the palate has great definition and balance with lively acidity and creamy texture. The aromatic finish suggests lightly-grilled goat’s cheese with a side-salad of mixed leaves and a simple lemon dressing.

STELLENRUST BARREL-FERMENTED 59 CHENIN BLANC 2023

• Producer: Stellenrust Wines
• Region: Stellenbosch
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 13.5%
• Approx. retail price: £25
• Medal: Gold

From a 17th-century family property, the vines for this Stellenrust wine are now 59 years old, hence the number on the label. Pale gold-coloured, the wine has tropical fruit – melon, quince and pineapple – overlaid with notes of honey, lemon zest and smoky oak. Dry, the midweight palate has zesty acidity framing the rich flavours. Sappy and savoury, the wine shows layers of flavour and a lingering finish. The wine will make a delightful pairing for poached sea bass fillets with white wine, cream and chervil sauce.

LIPINSKI FAMILY CHENIN BLANC 2022

• Producer: Big Head Wines
• Region: Niagara Lakeshore
• Country: Canada
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 13.7%
• Approx. retail price: £39
• Medal: Gold

The Lipinski family are quietly making a rather big name for their top-quality Canadian wines from underrated grape varieties. This Chenin Blanc is an exceptional example. Quite deep straw-yellow-gold in colour, the wine has typical Chenin Blanc characteristics: tangerine, pineapple, peach and apricot, with hazelnut and honey nuances on the nose.

The midweight palate echoes the aromatics. The flavours are balanced by very crisp acidity and a bit of tannic grip adding texture and strength. The nutty finish suggests pairing with roasted chicken, accompanied by new potatoes and tarragon carrots.

SPIER 21 GABLES CHENIN BLANC 2022

• Producer: Spier Wine Farm
• Region: Coastal Region
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 14.5%
• Approx. retail price: £25
• Medal: Master

The 37-year-old, dry-farmed, bush-trained vines used for this wine are nicknamed the ‘Lazarus vines’ because Johann Jordaan, the Spier cellarmaster, rescued them from obscurity and uprooting. Pale gold-hued, the wine displays golden apple, guava and peach flavours, with smoky wood and honey notes. Dry, mid-weight, the rich palate is balanced by zesty acidity and a hint of astringency, giving a little added grip and leading to a savoury finish. The wine would be a good match for seared swordfish steaks.

HERZOG SPECIAL RESERVE CHENIN BLANC 2023

• Producer: Herzog Wine Cellars
• Region: Clarksburg, California
• Country: USA
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 14.5%
• Approx. retail price: £45
• Medal: Master

Herzog make wines from numerous California wine regions. This lovely example comes from the southern part of Sacramento, where cooling breezes from San Francisco Bay keep the acidity.

Deep clay-loam soils with good water-holding capacity allow the Chenin Blanc grapes to ripen slowly and carefully. Mid-gold in colour, with yellow peaches and mirabelle plums overlaid with toasty oak and hints of orange zest and acacia honey, the wine is midweight and has racy acidity, suggesting a good match for a range of Chinese dishes.

VONDELING BOWWOOD CHENIN BLANC 2022

• Producer: Vondeling
• Region: Western Cape
• Country: South Africa
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 13.9%
• Approx. retail price: £38
• Medal: Gold

This wine is from a single vineyard, the highest altitude on Vondeling overlooking the Voor Paardeberg sub-region, offering a south-facing, cool meso-climate to ensure a long growing season and gentle ripening. The wine is mid-gold in colour and exhibits focused pineapple and yellow plum fruit, with vanilla bean and honey notes.

Just dry and medium-bodied, the palate shows zippy acidity and succulent texture, which carries through to the lingering finish. A good food pairing would be roasted aubergine stuffed with prawns and breadcrumbs.

DOMAINE DU CLOSEL SAVENNIÈRES CLOS DU PAPILLON 2022

• Producer: Domaine du Closel
• Region: Loire Valley
• Country: France
• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc
• ABV: 15.5%
• Approx. retail price: £69

Medal: Master

Managed by Evelyne de Pontbriand, who is also president of the appellation, this 15-hectare domaine is a star in Savennières. The vineyard is biodynamically cultivated, and the quality of the wine is exceptional and expensive – but worth every cent. Quite deep gold in hue, the wine is aromatic with golden apples, mirabelles and apricots, surrounded by creamy oak and lifted by acacia honey and floral notes. Dry, the mid-weight and intense palate is framed by racy acidity. Incredible length, beautifully integrated and textural. Great with turbot and sweet red pepper on potato-chive rosti.

Top two sparkling wines:

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