The rise of white wine’s popularity—as well as the decline of red wine—is no longer anecdotal or apocryphal. The news, late last year, that white and rosé now surpass red in worldwide consumption may have surprised a lot of people, but the data is real. The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) reported that white wine alone now accounts for 43 percent of global wine consumption, up 10 percent over the past two decades. In the U.S., the world’s biggest consumer of white wine, consumption rose 65 percent from 2000 to 2021. Meanwhile, worldwide red wine consumption is down more than 15 percent since 2007, according to the OIV report. 

How the industry, sommeliers, and collectors react to this new consumer reality will be fascinating, and we’re already seeing interesting moves in established wine regions.

Look at what’s happening in Bourgueil. The prestigious Loire Valley appellation known for its ageworthy Cabernet Franc reds (from producers like Yannick Amirault and Pierre Gauthier) is now on its way to becoming a white-wine appellation. In July, Bourgueil winegrowers voted on a plan to allow dry whites made from Chenin Blanc under strict regulations: hand harvested, low yields, less than six grams of residual sugar, and a ban on chaptalization and press pumps.

“We have beautiful terroirs for Chenin. We do not understand why Chenin was forgotten in the decree which gave birth to our AOC in 1937,” said Philippe Boucard, the former president of the appellation’s governing body ODG Bourgueil. The reasoning behind the coming change, Boucard told the French trade publication Vitisphere, is straightforward: “At a time when the future of red is compromised, why compartmentalize us and forbid us from making white?”

Numerous Bourgueil wineries already bottle Chenin Blanc as IGP Val de Loire, a lower-tier French label classification. But there’s been a push for a higher-quality designation equal to the prestige reds. “The goal is to produce a high-end, quality wine," said Jean-Luc Duveau, current head of the ODG Bourgueil. “We have to set the bar high.” Currently, there are only 20 hectares of Chenin Blanc in Bourgueil, which is about two percent of its vineyards. But expect that number to rise quickly.

Chenin Blanc is now in such demand that it’s grown more widely in other parts of the Loire better known for Cabernet Franc—such as Bourgueil’s neighbor, Chinon. There’s been a resurgence of Chinon Blanc, made from Chenin Blanc (say that three times fast). As recently as the 1990s, only three producers in Chinon made white wine. “When I took over the estate in 2003, there were only 30 hectares of white in Chinon,” Jérôme Billard of Domaine de la Noblaie told me. “Now there are more than 90 hectares.” That was in 2020. Only four years later, there is even more.

Until the beginning of the 21st century, the Loire’s great Chenin Blanc appellations—among them Vouvray, Quarts de Chaume, Bonnezeaux, and Coteaux du Layon—were best known for sweet or semi-sweet wines. Which meant that Chenin Blanc suffered a similar fate to that of German Riesling once drinkers began to prefer dry over sweet. That’s changed over the past couple decades, as drier styles of Loire Chenin Blanc have taken center stage. The big, complex wines of Savennières that we wrote about a few months ago—some of the most coveted whites in France—are a good example of this.

Then there is the rise of Montlouis-sur-Loire, which is located less than an hour up the river from Bourgueil and Chinon. For years, Montlouis had lived in the shadow of neighboring Vouvray. But in the 2010s, producers such as François Chidaine and the late Jacky Blot of Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups put Montlouis on the map for their exquisite dry Chenin Blanc. In the U.S., those dry Montlouis wines have had a big influence on the latest generation of American wine professionals. These days, it’s hard to find a good wine list or wine bar menu that doesn’t have one or more Montlouis wines.

But it’s not just the Loire Valley. If you look all over Europe, the trending prestige wines to watch are largely dry whites—whether it’s single-vineyard Grüner Veltliner in Austria, non-sparkling Xarel·lo in Catalonia, the primacy of dry Riesling in Germany, the rise of Rioja Blanco or Portuguese whites, and numerous other examples. Meanwhile, it’s hard to name as many red wine regions on the rise, outside of maybe Spätburgunder from Germany, or Blaufränkisch from Austria’s Burgenland.

Wines like dry Loire Chenin are no longer obscure wines for the so-called cool kids. They’re the future. In my recent critique of the American wine industry, I noted that California growers have planted nearly twice as many red grapes over the past decade. This is but one example of an industry that’s lost sight of its consumer. The old idea that “the first duty of wine is to be red” feels like a recipe for irrelevance.

Bourgueil can clearly see this all happening. At this point, I seriously wonder about any wine person who can’t.

Six Picks: Loire Chenin Blanc

2021 Domaine Fabrice Gasnier "Le Coteau de Sonnay" Chinon Blanc ($36)

This fabulous, full-bodied Chenin Blanc clearly demonstrates the grape’s aging potential. Fermented and aged 14 months in oak, but very integrated and balanced. Pretty, floral nose of peach blossom, lavender, acacia, honeysuckle, and lanolin. In the mouth, lots of bright energy, fresh, juicy apple and pear, and viscous, supple structure that finishes long and mineral. Don’t sleep on this biodynamic producer who still flies somewhat under the radar—that likely won’t always be the case.

2022 Bernard Baudry Chinon Blanc ($30)

Bernard Baudry is one of Chinon’s finest producers, and this Chenin Blanc punches far above its weight. Complex, nuanced nose of peach blossom, honeysuckle, and that pretty wool sweater note that you find in good Chenin. In the mouth, it’s ripe, round, and full bodied, with fleshy pear, lemon curd, warm citrus, and a little earthy and nutty. There’s an underlying, attractive note of wet stone on the finish. This wine challenges you in the best way, makes you think, pairs with a wide range of food, and is a steal for 30 bucks. 

2022 La Grange Tiphaine "Clef de Sol" Montlouis-sur-Loire ($38)

Biodynamic producer La Grange Tiphaine is part of a growing roster of great producers in Montlouis who make dry, mineral-driven Chenin Blanc full of tension and energy. This, from 80-year-old vines and matured a year on fine lees, is a benchmark Montlouis bottling. Delicate nose of honeysuckle, lime zest, and ripe pear. On the palate, lean and linear, with notes of nectarine and yellow apple, and a crisp, earthy finish. Just a gorgeous, world-class white wine.

2023 Mary Taylor Anjou Blanc ($14)

I really appreciate Mary Taylor’s approach as negociant, seeking out good, honest wines from small producers in lesser-known terroirs, and bottling them at very approachable prices. This one, made by Pascal Biotteau, has a super herbal nose of tarragon, marjoram, honeysuckle, and even a hint of garam masala. On the palate, it’s pithy and fleshy, with white grapefruit, underripe apricot, a bit of spice and a bit of honey. Are you kidding me that you can get this sort of complexity for under $15?

2021 Domaine aux Moines Savennières Roche aux Moines ($58)

Some of France’s greatest white wines come from Savennières, a small appellation, with only 146 hectares and a small number of wineries. Many consider it the ultimate expression of Chenin Blanc. Roche aux Moines is a small appellation of 22 hectares within Savennières, of which Domaine aux Moines owns 9 hectares. Got all that? Just remember this bottle, from one of my favorite Loire winemakers, Tessa Laroche. This is a big, charming, ripe Chenin Blanc with a nose of beeswax, grilled pineapple, ripe pear, and a bit of melon. In the mouth, it’s both rich and bright, a burst of tangerine along with the pear and pineapple, and a subtle, underlying smoky note carrying through to the chalky finish.

2018 Arnaud Lambert "Clos de la Rue" Saumur ($60)

From Lambert’s Château de Brézé vineyards in Saumur. With about two years in oak, this dry Chenin Blanc differs from much of the better-known, mineral-driven examples from, say, Montlouis-sur-Loire or Savennières. Contemporary wine culture is moving away from oaked whites—toward concrete and amphora and whatnot—and it’s interesting to see someone with Lambert’s natural-wine cred producing a wine like this. Clos de la Rue’s heft and structure give serious Burgundy vibes, yet the generous aromas and flavors are all Chenin, just with the volume turned up: beeswax, apple peel, ripe pear, ginger, nutmeg, great acidity, an underlying hint of saltiness, and that beautiful wool sweater note.