How to pronounce Chenin Blanc

What is Chenin Blanc?

A white grape variety producing versatile wines ranging from dry to sweet with high acidity.

Chenin Blanc is a white grape from the Loire Valley in France. Its home is thought to be Anjou, and the name is believed to come from Mont Chenin, a site in Touraine where it was planted in the 1500s. DNA analysis points to it being an offspring of the Jura grape Savagnin. In the Loire it is also called Pineau de la Loire.

The grape has high natural acidity, which lets it make very different wines. Loire Chenin runs from dry to sweet and includes sparkling wine. Typical flavors are apple and quince, with honey and floral notes as the wine ages. Savennières is mostly dry, Coteaux du Layon, Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume are sweet, and Vouvray covers the whole range.

South Africa grows more Chenin Blanc than France, and it is the most widely planted variety there. For a long time it was known locally as Steen, and it was only confirmed as Chenin Blanc in 1965. South African styles often lean toward tropical fruit. When you buy Vouvray, look for the sweetness word on the label: sec is dry, demi-sec is off-dry, moelleux is sweet.

Chenin Blanc, syllable by syllable

Why Chenin Blanc is hard to say

In French, the letters ch are read as sh. English uses that spelling for the sound in church, so the eye suggests the harder sound. The same rule gives you the sh at the start of Chardonnay, Champagne, Chablis and Château.

A vowel followed by n or m at the end of a French syllable becomes a nasal vowel: the n colors the vowel and is not sounded on its own. Chenin has one in its second syllable and Blanc has another. The final c of Blanc is silent as well, like most final consonants in French. Sauvignon Blanc and Blanc de Blancs follow the same pattern, and French puts the stress at the end of the phrase, on Blanc.

Other accepted pronunciations

These are also correct, and Vinolingo scores them as correct:

• SHEN-in BLAHNK — Established English form.

Tips for saying it

How to order Chenin Blanc

In an English-speaking restaurant or shop, the established English form SHEN-in BLAHNK, with an audible k, is completely fine and is listed in American dictionaries. The French form SHEN-in BLAHNG fits well in France or at a tasting. Many people simply say Chenin. Because the grape can be dry or sweet, it helps to say which style you want.

• “Could I have a glass of the Chenin Blanc, please?”
• “Is this Chenin Blanc dry or off-dry?” A useful question, since the label does not always say.

Names often confused with Chenin Blanc

• Sauvignon Blanc (so-vin-yawn BLAHNG): Another white grape grown in the Loire and ending in the same Blanc, so the two names are often mixed up; the wines taste quite different.
• Vouvray (voo-VRAY): A Loire appellation made almost entirely from Chenin Blanc, though the label shows the place and not the grape.
• Demi-sec (duh-mee-SEK): The label word for off-dry, common on Vouvray and other Loire Chenin Blanc.
• Chardonnay (shar-doh-NAY): A different white grape that starts with the same French ch, read as sh.

Questions about pronouncing Chenin Blanc

How do you pronounce Chenin Blanc?

In French, Chenin Blanc is pronounced SHEN-in BLAHNG, with a soft sh at the start, a nasal vowel and no c sound at the end of Blanc, and the stress on Blanc. In English it is commonly said SHEN-in BLAHNK, which is also accepted.

Is the c silent in Chenin Blanc?

In French, yes. Blanc ends in a nasal vowel and the c is not sounded, giving BLAHNG. In English the established form sounds the k, BLAHNK, and dictionaries list it that way, so both are accepted.

Is it SHEN-in or CHEN-in?

It starts with sh. French reads the letters ch as sh, as in Chardonnay and Champagne, so the first syllable is SHEN. The English form of the name keeps the same sh sound.

What does Chenin Blanc mean?

Blanc is French for white. Chenin is thought to come from Mont Chenin, a site in Touraine in the Loire Valley where the grape was planted in the sixteenth century. So the name pairs a place with a color.

What is the difference between Chenin Blanc and Steen?

They are the same grape. Steen is the old South African name for Chenin Blanc, used for about two centuries before the vines were confirmed as the Loire variety in 1965. Most South African bottles now say Chenin Blanc.

Sources: Dictionary.com: Chenin Blanc, Wikipedia: Chenin blanc, Wikipedia: Vouvray (wine). Last reviewed 2026-10-10.