Hella Chenin Wine Fest – May 3rd, 2025
Report on the first Hella Chenin Wine Fest, held on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025, at Hammerling Wines in Berkeley, California. The event featured a tasting of Chenin Blanc wines from California and South Africa, and featured a late-morning panel discussion followed a trade tasting and then a consumer tasting in the afternoon.
Hella Chenin was founded by Peter Andrews of Culture Wine Co., Josh Hammerling of Hammerling Wines, and Marty Winters and Alex Pitts of Maître de Chai Wine. Founded in 2023 and based in San Francisco, Culture Wine Co. is the only current US importer focusing exclusively on South African wines. Hammerling Wines in Berkeley was established in 2018 and specializes in sparkling wine from cool-climate vineyard sites in California. Also located in Berkeley, Maître de Chai Wine was launched in 2012 and produces low-intervention wines, many from older California vineyards.
As they state in the event program booklet, “Hella Chenin is all about giving Chenin Blanc the love it deserves. We're here to spotlight the variety, get more people hyped on it, and promote family-run wineries. Hella Chenin isn’t just a one-time thing – it’s the start of something big. We’re building a community that’ll grow annually.”
All proceeds from the this year’s event will be donated to the My Tribe Rise organization, which creates programs that meet the immediate needs of working-class, elderly, and disabled Black residents in Altadena and Pasadena. The funds raised from Hella Chenin will go toward helping those residents who lost their homes in the devastating Altadena wildfire early this year.
Panel Discussion:
Hella Chenin kicked off with a panel discussion inside the Hammerling Wines space. Moderated by noted local wine writer Alder Yarrow, the panel featured South Africa’s Bernhard Bredell of Scions of Sinai Wines, and California’s Tegan Passalacqua of Sandlands Vineyards. Alder gave a brief introduction on the current state of Chenin Blanc, and then Bernhard and Tegan discussed the variety’s history in their regions.
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More Chenin Blanc is planted in South Africa than in the rest of the world combined, and the variety has been one of the country’s most notable wines since the mid-1600s, though the vines were only identified as Chenin Blanc in 1965. We learned that a single South African producer in the 1960s made over 3 million cases of Chenin Blanc per year, and that it was the best-selling wine in the world for a time. Most earlier Chenin Blanc bottlings were made in a sweeter style, though that has been changing in recent decades. There’s currently an effort to preserve older vineyards, which are mostly dry-farmed, and with very small head-trained vines (bush vines) to help mitigate damage to young vine shoots from the wind.
Chenin Blanc vines were probably first introduced into California around the 1860s-1880s. The variety has often been used as a component in inexpensive white wine blends or made in a slightly sweet “picnic wine” rendition. Charles Krug Winery was the first in California to produce a varietally-labeled Chenin Blanc in 1955, and their bottlings won awards. However, the variety started to go out of style, and planted acreage has plummeted since the 1970s. While acreage remains relatively small, the popularity of Chenin Blanc in California is rebounding, thanks to more producers making “serious” Chenin wines and focusing on quality as well as creating wines that express their vineyard sites.
Both Bernhard and Tegan talked about the issues with growing Chenin Blanc. Bernhard said that the variety is not difficult to farm if it’s planted in the right soil. His own fruit comes from granitic soil, and he said that it does well with lots of sun but not too hot of a climate, and Tegan added that vines that are dry-farmed or receive minimal irrigation typically work better for producing quality Chenin Blanc fruit. He also noted that with the high cost of land in California, new Chenin Blanc plantings will probably need to stick with less expensive regions such as Lodi, the Sacramento Delta, and the Sierra Foothills. Bernhard feels the variety is one that can keep both grapegrowers and winemakers happy.
Tegan told us that it was during a visit to South Africa that he learned how to make high-quality Chenin Blanc in a dry style. He feels that the dry Chenin Blanc from both California and South Africa may be leading more Loire Valley producers to make their wines in a dryer style.
Both Bernhard and Tegan like to use larger neutral vessels (puncheons, foudre, concrete tanks) for making their Chenin Blanc. Neither does any lees-stirring, and they both allow their wines to go completely through malolactic fermentation. Each of them presented one of their wines at the panel discussion. We tasted the Scions of Sinai 2023 Granietsteen Vineyard Chenin Blanc from the Stellenbosch region, and the Sandlands 2018 Amador County Chenin Blanc. Both had citrus-driven aromatics, and both displayed vibrant acidity. I tried each of these two wines again during the afternoon tasting and they were two of my favorites of the entire event.
This was one of the better panel discussions that I’ve attended at a wine event. Great job by all to keep the discussion focused, informative, and entertaining.
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Some Favorites |
OVERALL FAVORITES
South African Wines
Aslina Wines 2023 Skin Contact Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch
Luddite Wines 2023 Chenin Blanc, Bot River
Scions of Sinai Wines 2023 Granietsteen Vineyard Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch
California Wines
Fine Disregard Wine Co. 2021 Chenin Blanc, Chalone Vineyard, Chalone
Haarmeyer Wine Cellars 2019 “St. Rey En Foudre” Chenin Blanc, Wilson Vineyard, Clarksburg
Hammerling Wines 2023 “Point Break” Chenin Blanc, Rodnick Vineyard, Chalone
Las Jaras Wines 2022 “Cuvée Esmé Anne” Chenin Blanc, Norgard Vineyard, Mendocino County
Leo Steen Wines 2022 “The Steen” Chenin Blanc, Jurassic Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley
Margins Wine 2024 Chenin Blanc, Wilson Vineyard, Clarksburg
Pax Wines 2023 Chenin Blanc, Lyman Ranch, Amador County
Sandlands Vineyards 2018 Chenin Blanc, Amador County
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
South African Wines
Alheit Vineyards 2023 Carthology White Blend, Western Cape (94% Chenin Blanc, 6% Sémillon)
Bosman Wines 2023 Optenhorst Vineyard Chenin Blanc, Wellington
Brookdale Estate 2019 Chenin Blanc, Paarl
Craven Wines 2023 “Karibib” Chenin Blanc, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch
Spice Route 2023 “Tarragon” Chenin Blanc, Swartland
California Wines
Birichino Wines 2023 Chenin Blanc, Jurassic Park Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley
Broc Cellars 2024 “Love Sparkling” Chenin Blanc, Shell Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles
Chappellet Vineyard 2024 Chenin Blanc, Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard, Napa Valley
Dashe Cellars 2024 “Les Enfants Terribles” Chenin Blanc, Heringer Vineyard, Clarksburg
Forlorn Hope Wines 2021 Chenin Blanc, Rorick Heritage Vineyard, Calaveras County
Foxen Vineyard & Winery 2021 Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Ernesto Wickenden Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley
Gail Wines 2021 Chenin Blanc, Two Creeks Farm, Sonoma Valley
Haarmeyer Wine Cellars 2023 “Alta” Chenin Blanc, Silvaspoons Vineyard, Alta Mesa-Lodi
Haarmeyer Wine Cellars 2022 “Vieux Chenin” Chenin Blanc, Baranek Vineyard, Clarksburg
Hammerling Wines 2021 “Always For Pleasure” Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Massa Vineyard, Carmel Valley
Heringer Estates 2022 Chenin Blanc, Clarksburg
I. Brand & Family Winery 2023 Old Vine Chenin Blanc, Massa Vineyard, Carmel Valley
Iruai Wine 2023 “Moonstones” Chenin Blanc, Four Diamonds Vineyard, Applegate Valley, Oregon
Kareen Wine 2021 Chenin Blanc, Heringer Vineyard, Clarksburg
Las Jaras Wines 2023 “Cuvée Cezanne” Chenin Blanc, Norgard Vineyard, Mendocino County
Leo Steen Wines 2023 “Peaberry” Chenin Blanc, Sterling Ranch Vineyard, Mendocino County
Littorai Wines 2023 “The Haven” Chenin Blanc, Sonoma Coast
Madson Wines 2022 Chenin Blanc, Santa Barbara County
Maître de Chai Wine 2022 Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Wilson Vineyard, Clarksburg
Margins Wine 2024 Skin-Fermented Chenin Blanc, Wilson Vineyard, Clarksburg
Martha Stoumen Wines 2024 “Out To The Meadow” White Blend, Suisun Valley (63% Chenin Blanc, 15% Vermentino, 13% Trousseau Gris, 6% Green Hungarian, 2% Chasselas Doré)
Matt Crutchfield Wines 2023 Skin-Contact Chenin Blanc, Heringer Vineyard / Wilson Vineyard, Clarksburg
Minus Tide Wines 2023 Chenin Blanc, Sterling Ranch Vineyard, Mendocino County
Sandlands Vineyards 2023 Chenin Blanc, Amador County
Sandlands Vineyards 2014 Chenin Blanc, Napa Valley
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General Tasting impressions:
There were nine South African wineries represented at Hella Chenin plus about 30 from California. Pairs of producers shared tables set up below canopies in the large open space adjacent to Hammerling Wines, and there was plenty of room to circulate. Even though the event was sold out, the area never felt too crowded. In addition to the winery tables, several local Bay Area chefs were on hand in an adjacent area to sell small plates at the event, and there was very good live music as well. Overall, I thought that this was an exceptionally well-organized and well-run event.
Most of the wines poured at the Hella Chenin tasting were 100% varietal though there were also a few Chenin-based blends…plus a handful of completely non-Chenin wines, but I won’t tell anyone! For a single grape variety, the event showcased a wide array of styles in which Chenin Blanc can be made, from bone-dry and high-acid to slightly sweet and richer in texture, as well as sparkling. The South African wines came from several regions there, while the California wines came from regions ranging from Santa Barbara to Mendocino counties to the Sierra Foothills and even just across the Oregon border.
Since there was a generous five-hour period for the trade tasting and then the consumer tasting, I had time to taste wines from every vintner table at Hella Chenin. I’m sure I missed a few wines along the way but I think I tasted nearly all of them. Many of the winemakers were behind their winery tables at Hella Chenin. That’s not always the case at tasting events of this size, and it’s always great to have the opportunity to talk with the vintners about their wines.
As is sometimes the case at tasting events such as this one, I didn’t record much in the way of tasting impressions for many of the wines, so I’m just including a list of ones that particularly impressed me. I tended to favor the leaner and more acidic renditions of Chenin Blanc (including sparkling ones) rather than the richer and sometimes slightly sweeter ones, though a number of the wines in that style were also very good.
Most of the producers at Hella Chenin poured at least one wine that I thought was a standout, and a few had more than one. Overall favorite wines of the event are the three listed from South Africa and eight from California, and other highlight wines (some of which almost made my list of favorites) are listed here as well.
Hella Chenin was a very enjoyable event, and it was a terrific showcase for the high quality of Chenin Blanc being produced in a variety of styles in both South Africa and California. I definitely learned a lot from both the morning panel discussion and the afternoon tasting. While it might be nice to also have producers from France included in the future, this event worked extremely well in its inaugural presentation. Whether you’re already a fan of Chenin Blanc or just want to learn more about it, you won’t find a better opportunity to find out what this variety can do than attending Hella Chenin.
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