I wish I could be saying that my hiatus was due to the latter - but alas, it is due to the very small representation of quality wines in the former catagory. However, I did just find one recently that was worthy of my blogging love - Beringer Chenin Blanc.
Now, I will attest that I, as a young 20's professional, do squarely put myself in the camp of enoying those things "hipster" as in local, small batch what's-it - and would typically snuff large established labels for the sheer sake of snuffing large established labels, but alas - in this tiny lake of drinkable $5 wines, there is just not room for such snuffery.
I felt a "value" Chenin Blanc had promise as this grape tends to be a reliable light chrisp wine with fruit and floral notes - always stainless steel (which cuts down on costs) and in my opinion, kind of hard to mess up. The Beringer Chenin Blanc showed a platium pale clear color as expected along with tropical fruit skins ( in a kind of way like you just can't quite get to the fruit but you know its there) and crisp yellow apples on the nose. The palate displayed pineapple, ripe apple, peach & white apricot. While the floral notes that I so appreciate in French Chenin's was definately absent - overall, solid choice for $4.50.The one reason why this wine cannot gain the terminal velocity required to escape the cheap wine segment was its decision to leave a small amount of residual sugar in the wine lending to an off-dry style. Done so to appeal to "entry" wine drinkers, it diminished what refreshing crispness I have come to love in Chenin Blanc.
Why recommend this wine then you say? Well, I do so with context. This wine is a great choice when throwing a large party, where as a host, one must appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes while not shelling out hundreds. It had enough sugar to satiate the sweet wine drinker, while not too much (as in an entry Riesling or worse Moscato would) to offend the established vino fan.
Does it deserve a raving review? Nah. But serve its purpose - you bet. Because do you really want to serve your crem-de-la-crem Vouvray to the random neighbor who stopped by your barbeque?
Yeah, I didn't think so either ;)
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* HELPFUL HINT: As mentioned in an earlier blog: "How would one buying this wine off the super market shelf know that it had residual sugar in it?" Again, I point you towards the alcohol content which is legally required to be posted on all wines sold in the USA. This Chenin has 11.5% & for the most part, any wine from any somewhat warm region (i.e. Alsace, Germany, & NY's Fingerlakes excluded) should gain a minimum of 12% from almost any varietal. Any less and you know some sugar remains.
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