May 13, 2026 (Seattle, WA) — Wine Folly co-founder Madeline Puckette will moderate the trade seminar “Chenin Blanc in a Changing Wine Culture” at the second annual Hella Chenin Wine Fest on May 16, 2026, at Hammerling Wines in Berkeley, California.
The weekend seminar brings together two of the world’s leading Chenin Blanc producers: Niels Verburg of Luddite Wines in South Africa and Bree Stock, MW, of Limited Addition Wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The panel will tackle a critical question: Is Chenin Blanc’s current popularity a fleeting trend, or does this grape have the staying power to establish itself as one of the world’s great fine wine varieties?
From “It Girl” to Fine Wine
Puckette will frame the conversation by comparing Sauvignon Blanc’s reign as the “it girl” of the 2010s with Chenin Blanc’s emerging status in the 2020s. “Consumers deserve to know the difference between what makes fine wine versus consumable wine,” Puckette notes in her seminar outline. “And as we’re about to find out, the answer isn’t a singular taste, style, winemaking method, or growing region.”
The seminar will examine three core capabilities that distinguish fine Chenin Blanc: transparency to site (terroir expression), specialized winemaking techniques including oak aging and yeast selection, and age-worthiness that rivals the great wines of France’s Loire Valley.
Cross-Continental Perspectives
Niels Verburg brings decades of experience from South Africa, where Chenin Blanc has been the country’s signature grape since the 1990s renaissance that transformed it from “box wine grape” to fine wine worthy of oak aging. Verburg brings a deep understanding of South Africa’s ancient soils, climate, and how old vines contribute to Chenin’s potential for world-class wines.
Bree Stock, a Master of Wine, represents the American “new wave” of Chenin Blanc production. She’ll explain what inspired her to pursue Chenin in Oregon, how Oregon’s growing conditions differ from traditional regions, and what winemaking choices create age-worthy wines in the New World.
A Week of Wine Leadership
The Hella Chenin seminar comes just two days before Puckette’s appearance at the Vine to Mind 2026 symposium at UC Davis (May 18–21), where she’ll participate in a panel on wine media alongside New York Times Chief Wine Critic Eric Asimov and SOMM Films creator Jason Wise.
“Chenin Blanc is exactly the kind of grape Wine Folly exists to champion,” Puckette said. “It’s versatile, transparent to terroir, and capable of producing world-class wines—but it’s often overlooked or misunderstood. This seminar is an opportunity to give sommeliers, buyers, and media the technical knowledge they need to recognize fine Chenin when they taste it.”
About Hella Chenin Wine Fest
Founded by Peter Andrews (Culture Wine Co.), Josh Hammerling (Hammerling Wines), and Marty Winters & Alex Pitts (Maître de Chai), Hella Chenin celebrates Chenin Blanc with over 70 wines from California, Oregon, South Africa, Australia, and France. The festival features a trade seminar and tasting (11:00am–1:30pm) followed by a consumer tasting (1:30pm–5:00pm) with food from Bay Area chefs, oysters from Lo-Fi Oyster Co., and live music. Proceeds benefit CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles).
Participating wineries include Rall Wines, Luddite Wines, Aslina, Scions of Sinai, Sandlands, Haarmeyer Wine Cellars, Pax Wines, Littorai, Ridge Vineyards, and 35+ more.
For tickets and information, visit hellacheninwinefest.com.
About Wine Folly
Wine Folly is the world’s leading wine education platform, founded by Madeline Puckette in 2011. Through beautifully designed infographics, comprehensive guides, and scientifically-grounded content, Wine Folly makes wine accessible to millions of enthusiasts worldwide. The platform is particularly known for championing lesser-known grape varieties and demystifying wine regions through data visualization.
