NZ Chenin Blanc

Mount Edward Winery is one of the few producers of great Chenin Blanc in New Zealand and this is a dry style with succulent flavours of white peach, a hint of honey and juicy acidity giving this wine its mouthwateringly long finish. 

Mount Edward Wines was founded by the godfather of modern Central Otago wine, Alan Brady, in 1997. Its name comes from Mount Edward and iti s situated at the foot of this mountain in the Gibbston Valley, which is the source of some of the grapes used in its wines. Most of the vineyard source for Mount Edward is further afield, notably in Pisa at the outstanding Morrison Vineyard and in Bannockburn at the Muirkirk Vineyard. 

A great white from the world's most southern wine region.

Notes from the winemaker.

This wine is slightly cloudy and the first smell is of olive stone and almost briny, there is light dried straw much like the scarecrow and yet with the pear prettiness of Dorothy . A touch of honey and a whisper of almond are present. The acidity is round, but refreshing and then there?s heaps of long chained tannin giving a very long textured pucker and a drying finish. It is cloudy from natural sediments, and smells very clearly of its origins in terms of place and fruit. The taste is long and intense. Once opened, this wine will last, even improve, for a number of days afterwards, so take your time, savour and drink in moderation. Handmade.

? BioGro Certified Organic 

? Demeter Certified Biodynamic 

? Grown and bottled on the Property

? Dry farmed 

? Unfined. Contains no animal products.

A compelling dry Chenin Blanc that is delicious now and has such great fresh acidity that it will age superbly as well. The bold natural freshness of La Bas Chenin Blanc drives flavours of honey, white fleshed peach and green apples, a hint of beeswax here and a touch of dry grass there. This is a stunningly structured, full bodied white wine balanced by bright and bold zesty citrus flavours. It's gorgeous now and can up for up to a decade in good storage conditions; cool and dark.

This wine is certified organic and biodynamic. 

Maxim Wines is a small wine producer in Hawke?s Bay, owned by winemaker Darragh Hughes, who produces small batches of beautiful, handcrafted wines, specialising in Chenin Blanc and Syrah. 

This Chenin is a fresh, pure and expressive with white florals and stonefruit aromas, apple and citrus notes. This lovely medium-bodied wine has an elegantly concentrated core of white florals, apple, stonefruit and citrus notes. The palate possesses a fine structure and balance, the textures and acidity flow through to the taut finish.

Maxim Wines' aim is to make wines that are an honest expression of where they?re from and how they?re made, speaking the truth of the soil beneath the vines, the sun that ripened the fruit and the light touch that shaped the finished drop.

Barrel fermentation adds a noticeably delicious depth of flavour to this zingy, dry and refreshing Chenin Blanc from one of those who know the grape like the back of their proverbial winemaking hand - Simon Waghorn. He is an ardent fan of Chenin and gives it all the bells and allows its own personality to shine in this wine. 

Grapes were grown on the sunny, north facing Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough with partial barrel ferment to add body while wild yeasts add savoury flavour notes. 

This is a deliciously complex Chenin at an extremely affordable price with flavours of green apples, liquid honey and notes of dried grass, which make it feel like a hot sunny day with a cool crisp dry white. 

This wine drinks beautifully now and can certainly age for up to a decade, potentially longer. Longevity is one of the hallmarks of the Chenin Blanc grape variety and the wines made from it.

The story of Astrolabe

Diversity, history and family ownership are among the reasons to try the outstanding range of wines from Astrolabe, which was founded in 1996 in Marlborough by winemaker Simon Waghorn and his partner in life and wine, Jane. 

Simon has forged a reputation for being one of New Zealand's most respected producers of aromatic white wines after winning an almost embarrassingly long string of awards for his Sauvignon Blancs. He has also forged a name for adventurously diverse winemaking - he produces dry flinty whites from the most southern vineyard in Marlborough at Kekerengu on the coast about an hour's drive south of Blenheim. He is the only winemaker to produce wines from here. 

He is also one of the few in this country to make Albarino, Chenin Blanc and a consistently outstanding range of wines from the organically certified hillside sloping site that is the Wrekin Vineyard in Marlborough. 

The winery remains family owned and is now run by two generations, including Simon and Jane as well as their adult daughters. 

The new Dicey Wine brand is the brainchild of the well experienced Dicey brothers, Matt and James, whose parents were among the pioneers of viticulture and winemaking in Bannockburn, Central Otago, when they co-founded Mt Difficulty Wines.

Kirsten and Richard Searle are great champions of Chenin Blanc in Gisborne and theirs is made with grapes from the Briant's vineyard in the Patutahi region just across the river from Matawhero. Aromas in this wine are all about rich citrus blossom, supported by white floral and honeysuckle flavours combined with fresh acidity and a medium body. A stunning alternative medium dry white - great drinking, lightly chilled, year round. 

If you like a lighter style of Chardonnay, you'll love this tasty Gisborne white.

Chenin Blanc is one of the great white grapes of the wine world and is beautifully expressed in this dry white from North Canterbury, which rocks with flavours of crisp and crunchy green apples, a note of spice and a honeysuckle impression on the bone dry finish.

Versatile, refreshing and incredibly age worthy. Chenin Blanc is one of the great grapes of the wine world for all these qualities and more and this one is made with grapes grown on Ian Quinn?s Two Terraces vineyard in Mangatahi, Hawke's Bay. Quinn, the grape grower, is an unapologetic devotee of Chenin Blanc, which he supplies to several passionate winemakers, including Gordon Russell of Esk Valley. 

Russell ferments this Chenin in stainless steel, maturing it in a concrete egg for six months on fine lees. It's dry in taste and literally just off dry in style with residual sugar of 5.8 grams per litre. 

New Zealand?s climate is exceptionally well suited to this stunning classic French white grape variety, as winemakers such as Gordon Russell of Esk Valley, has shown for decades through his passionate perseverance with this lively white grape. 

Chenin Blanc is one of the world's most versatile grape varieties because it can be used to make bone dry, full bodied whites, which both France and South Africa specialise in and it can also make super succulent sweeties. The grape's naturally high acidity adds balancing freshness to wines made from it, which retain a brightness and lively style. 

The Wrekin Vineyard lies within its own small valley located on the north facing slopes of the Fairhall Valley. It is part of a sub-region of Marlborough known as the Southern Valleys.

This wine is made by Jeremy Hyland (vigneron) and winemaker H?tsch Kalberer offering and offers intense orange blossom and stone fruit on the nose. All the classic aromatics of a Chenin Blanc. The palate is dry and broad with focused crisp acidity balanced with rich lime and pear.

Dry, flinty, full bodied and creamy with flavoursome ripe apple and honey notes. This Hawke's Bay Chenin Blanc is sure to please both Chardonnay lovers and those who like crisp dry whites without all the bells and whistles too; it successfully straddles a diverse array of wine style thanks to clever winemaking from Rod Easthope, sources grapes from the Two Terraces Vineyard, inland in the Bay and owned by Chenin devotee Ian Quin..

Chenin BLanc is one of the least planted but most promising white grapes in New Zealand and is also one of the world's most versatile, thanks to the wide range of wines that can be made from it - from light to full bodied, still to sparkling and dry to lusciously sweet.

This Chenin Blanc comes from Hawke's Bay winemaker Rod Easthope, who used old barrels to ferment this Chenin, which adds body, weight and savouryness. It drinks well now and can definitely age further too, thanks to the grape's naturally high acidity, which acts as a preservative.

Winemakers James and Annie Millton were the first in the country to produce a certified organic wine in 1984 and have since pioneered biodynamic grape growing and winemaking practices, along with retaining a strong loyalty to lesser known great grape varieties, such as Chenin Blanc.

Te Arai Vineyard Chenin Blanc is one of their finest wines and best known for its consistently high quality and ability to age. The Chenin Blanc grape is known and loved for its vibrant high acidity which provides a freshness to the wine and the ability to age for the long term. 

If you haven't tried this great white, it's time to get in touch with one of the country's most iconic wines.