Chenin Blanc

Tanzania Distilleries is the dominant player in the country’s wine and spirits market.

It operates two cellars with a capacity of 800 tonnes a year — a fairly low figure.

This means much of its wine is imported from Distell, a partner in South Africa.

Full Story: Dar farmers to supply grapes for locally produced Overmeer - East African

Foremost among these other wine regions is the Loire Valley, an area wine guru Robert Parker describes as the "bargain garden of France." Producing a surprising diversity of wine, France's third largest wine region stretches 600 miles, encompassing 60 appellations that create delicious, food friendly wines. Even top vineyards sell for modest prices. I'm always blown away by the superb quality and appeal of Loire Valley wines.

Exporting 22 percent of it wines, the vast majority remain within France. Paris is the main market for Loire wines, reflecting the esteem the French have for the region. American importers of Loire wines are highly selective, narrowing their offerings to the best this region produces. The result in American stores is quality and value unequalled by few alternatives.

Sancerre. Most Americans know and enjoy whites from sauvignon blanc. Wine retailers' shelves overflow with New Zealand, Californian, South African and, recently, Chilean wines from this highly popular grape. Yet, the gold standard for sauvignon blanc remains the Loire Valley's Sancerre appellation.

Full Story: Wine Wisdom: Vive la Loire - Randolph Herald

The event, which started at 7p.m., was an interactive wine tasting that focused primarily on food and wine pairings. Only eight people made reservations, creating an intimate atmosphere for us all seated around one table together. Besides my friend Lauren, I spent the evening with two other lovely and sophisticated couples, a server from Eve who had the night off and a server from Pacific Rim . I felt like I was at a dinner party with friends more than a formal wine tasting at a restaurant.

Travis started the event by introducing himself and providing us with some basic wine knowledge. He knowledgeably informed us that non-fruity appetizers should be paired with drier wine such as Chablis, Chardonnay, dry Riesling or even Sauvignon Blanc. A fruity appetizer, however, should be paired with a more sugary, off-dry wine such as Chenin Blanc. Another seemingly obvious fact I had never considered before was that regional cuisines, if nothing else, pair well with wines from that particular region.

After our brief overview, the wine began to flow. The L. Mawby Blancs de Blancs sparkling wine from Michigan was deliciously crisp and not overly fruity. While hints of apple came through, I was pleasantly surprised at its refreshing finish.

Full Story: Eve goes Red and White on a Green Holiday - AnnArbor.com

But it may not hold on to that position for long – in 2009, the wine grape crop was down 8.4% on the previous year, which is likely to push up prices, which in turn may make cheaper brands that helped drive that success less competitive. Then there's the question of what will happen with the dread C word – currency – that has played havoc with the price of wine from euro-countries.

In the meantime, what looks good from South Africa? When spending my own money, I tend to go in on four levels. Let's ignore the one-off finer-wine finds, of which there are many. That leaves the £10-plus bottle of chardonnay from the likes of Vergelegen , Newton Johnson , Cape Chamonix , Hamilton Russell and Ataraxia ; the finely tuned, around-a-tenner sauvignon blanc that is often better value than its New Zealand equivalent; and cheaper bottles of chenin blanc, which I think serve very well as a weekday house white.

Here's a clutch of more specific recommendations.

Full Story: Wine: A South African revolution - The Guardian

The wine—a Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 1953—is made from meticulously tended and hand-picked Chenin Blanc grapes grown on the historic property of the same name in the Coteaux du Layon, an Appellation Contrôlée that, along with Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux, is one of the areas in the Loire known for producing sweet wines with long aging potential.

The grapes in the Moulin Touchais wines are left to over-ripen on the vine, yielding fruit with high sugar levels and concentrated flavors that balance with Chenin Blanc’s naturally high acidity. Unlike many of the sweet wines in the Loire, they are not affected by noble rot (botrytis) due to the location of the vineyard on the banks of the Layon River.

I was tasting with my friend and fellow wine geek, Will Sugerman, and as we went through the 1993 and 1996 vintages (both were incredible), our French guide explained the history of the property, the producer’s dedication to traditional farming and winemaking techniques, and the practice of aging the wines for a minimum of ten years before releasing them for sale.

Full Story: Lost in Translation - New Jersey Monthly (blog)