Moderator : Jacques Carroger
3. Niel Groenewald - A review of winemaking practices that ensures best in class results in a changing environment.
Chenin blanc is the most planted white grape varietal in South Africa and represents 18.6% of plantings in the country. South Africa has more plantings of Chenin blanc than any other wine-producing regions and more than the rest of the world combined..
It is a signature varietal and conversation starter for the South Afrcian wine industry and its economic importance to the industry is undisputed. Chenin blanc needs to stay relevant and a lot has been done over the past 15 years to enhance the image and value proposition of this beautiful South African treasure.
A review was done of top performing wines in the Standard back Chenin blanc top 10 Challenge of the previous 5 years. Interviews were conducted with winners of 3 or more awards in this period.
Focus was given to vineyard location, age of vines, cellar practices that includes harvest time, grape handling, fermentation, ageing and blending and bottling of wines. The evolution of practices is portrayed against a back drop of climatic conditions like drought, shift in consumer preference and the constant move towards regional excellence.
4. Paul de Surmont and Jean-Michel Monnier - Mastering and Evolution of oenologic practices of Chenin de Loire wines in a changing environment
"L’union des œnologues de la vallée de la Loire" has wished to bring a technical point of view on Chenin vinification itineraries in their region. For this, the union asked two of its members to communicate about their experiences:
Paul de Surmont is an oenologist as well as the director of Laboratoire Litov and is active on most of the vineyards from Angers to Tours thanks to his four local laboratories. He consults every day with a group of approximately thirty winemakers for the definition of their objectives and the mastering of the processes.
Jean Michel Monnier is an independent consultant oenologist for 19 vineyards from Nantes to Saumur who have all elaborated all Chenin Blanc. He is also associate professor at the University of Angers ESTHUA and the forensic expert "vineyard and wines" for the Angers Court of Appeal.
Working daily with the Loire producers, they will present in a few minutes specific examples of manufacturing processes used in the Loire Valley on four types of wines: dry, fresh and springy white wines; dry, velvety, dense white wines with aging capacities; off-dry to sweet white wines; and sparkling wines. The objective is not to remind the methods of elaboration in detail but to insist on the innovative techniques implemented on Chenin de Loire wines in a context of environmental, climatic, social and economic evolution.
They also wish to answer questions about Itineraries that were not developed in this presentation.