June 14th – Stellenbosch has been selected as the global meeting point this November for a prestigious, multi-disciplinary congress on Chenin Blanc, a grape variety regarded as key to the future of wine growing. One of the world’s most heat-tolerant and versatile cultivars, it is South Africa’s signature white wine grape. The country has more Chenin vines planted than the rest of the world combined, but Chenin’s birthplace is the Loire in France.
The right to hold the Chenin Blanc International Congress has been granted by the City of Angers. It was a key driving force behind the first such conference, held in Angers in 2019.
This year’s event that will explore the role of the grape in a fast-changing environment, is expected to draw wine academics, climatologists, regenerative viticultural specialists, winemakers, agro-economists, trend analysts and marketers from across the world. Its confirmation follows extensive collaboration between wine and academic bodies in France and South Africa.
It is being hosted jointly by the Academie du Chenin and Destination Angers together with South Africa’s Chenin Blanc Association and Stellenbosch University. Several other wine bodies are also involved as partners, with support also being extended by South African Tourism.
Entitled Chenin: Revealer of Place, the congress will be presented from November 1 to 3 in hybridised format with in-person and digital tickets available. The three-day event at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), will include a wide range of academic and general interest presentations as well as vineyard visits. Delegates will be able to choose from a range of package options.
The accent will be on sustainability and innovation, with speakers and workshops focusing on three key areas: the full genome sequencing of the Chenin Blanc grape varietal to establish a scientific base for intra-varietal clone diversity; winegrowing and winemaking in the face of…
