Much like Riesling, Chenin Blanc is a wine around which you could build an entire meal, its versatility opening the door to pairing with everything from an aperitif to dessert.   The style of wine ranges from bone dry Savenierres with mineral driven electrified acidity to medium bodied off dry (just a hint of sweetness) to semi-sweet either medium or full bodied, to late harvest and very rich and sweet botrytized dessert wine.  While the balance of flavor and sweetness can vary, one aspect remains a stable: the driving acidity.  In fact, combine the acidity with the high sugar content and you get a wine that potentially has a good couple of decades of aging potential.   The fun in pairing this wine is all in the style of the wine.  With the ability to tinker with the balance of acidity and sugar, producers can offer a diversity of styles.  If the wine is a dry or off-dry Loire, expect melon, guava, red or yellow apple and quince fruits, possible Chamomile and straw notes, a hint of freshly cut grass and a chalky-mineral driven wine.  As mentioned, the classic bone dry version is from Savenierres.  This style possesses dried apple and quince fruits, dried flowers, freshly cut grass and straw and hints of chalky earth.  The result is a wine with extraordinary structure and capable of aging for decades if stored properly.  Vouvray also produces a notably dry style but not quite as austere.  If you’re searching for an off dry version (one with a little sweetness), think Vouvray and Montlouis with richer flavors of apple, pear and melon.  The wines are often labeled as moelleux or softly sweet.

On the other hand, if the wine is late harvest or botrytized, expect baked apple and ripe cantaloupe, custard, honey, caramel and vanilla.  I once knew someone who swore that he smelled Juicy fruit gum!  This style is quite a treat… rich and luscious.  Look for Quarts de Chaume and Coteaux de Layon wines. 

The sparkling version, while not particularly well known, offers a refreshing alternative to the classic French champagne, both in style and price and allows you to pair with dishes that ordinarily would demand champagne or sparkling wine.  Many of the wineries, in fact, are owned by Champagne producers using the methode traditionnelle.  The Loire center for these lively fizzies is the Saumur region.  The vines are grown on classic chalky soils (tufa) with the wines displaying gorgeous apple and lemon citrus notes, a low level of sweetness and a classic chalky minerality.  Here, the Chenin Blanc grapes are harvested early in order to retain the acidity while minimizing the sweetness.