RAISE A GLASS
I love the soft peachy notes of viognier white wines. They remind me of days sitting in the sunshine. It’s a while before I can make that a reality; I can practise as International Viognier Day beckons on Friday April 26.
Here are some facts about the wine: Viognier’s home is the northern Rhône and a super-expressive heartland is the region of Condrieu. Prices can be super-expressive too.
Look out for them, such as this Wine Society example Condrieu Les Eguets, Domaine Gerin 2020 (£44).
Viognier can pack a punch with alcohol and has relatively medium to low acidity, which wrap around a silky mouthfeel and aromas and flavours of peach, apricot and summertime flowers.
The wine is great with spicy food and also sips nicely with seafood and dishes in a creamy sauce.
It’s only in the last few decades that viognier has stepped into wine regions across the world.
Australia’s Yalumba producer is known for its great quality viognier wines.
Its Yalumba GEN Organic Viognier 2022 (£10, Ocado, left) is 100% certified organic and sustainably made. A tickle of spice pops out of the glass, with soft peach and apricots and a hint of dill.
Here’s a couple of
Saturday night vibe wines...
Pour Elegant Frog Viognier
(£9.25, Sainsbury, right) with your Chinese takeaway and you won’t be disappointed. It is from the sunny vineyards of Pays D’Oc in the south of France. Sun-dappled peach rises from the glass and citrus shows a zest for life.
Or nip to Chile with Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier (RRP £7.50, Tesco, Asda) for a more restrained style which stands up to be counted on the fruit flavour spectrum.
Now to a red!
In the northern Rhône, viognier can be blended in low amounts with syrah. It adds floral notes and, by some chemical magic, enhances syrah’s colour.
South African wine Kleine Zalze Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier (£9.99, Waitrose Cellar, left) nods to that French style as viognier is blended with two red grapes – shiraz (same as syrah) and mourvèdre.
The wine has layers of red cherries, damsons, a fleck of cedar and spice. It isn’t too shouty if you don’t like big bold reds.
Follow #International ViognierDay on social media.
Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.