Try viognier, the white grape that thinks it’s a red

Viognier is a white wine for people who prefer reds,” says Louisa Rose, head winemaker at Yalumba in Eden Valley in South Australia. “Tastewise, it has such a lush, succulent texture and low acidity similar to reds.”

Ask any wine producer Down Under about the viognier grape and they will always refer back to the ‘Queen of Viognier’, Louisa Rose, pictured. She took the variety under her wing when she joined Yalumba nearly 30 years ago – and today produces Australia’s best examples of this grape.

Unlike grenache and shiraz, which had been growing in Australia since the 19th century, viognier is a relatively new grape for Australia. Rose told me about her struggle with this tricky grape, during a virtual tasting she conducted recently from her South Australia base.

“I first came across viognier when I arrived at Yalumba in 1992,” says Rose. “Even at Roseworthy, Australia’s leading oenology college, I had never encountered it – as at that time there was still little planted, even in its homeland in Condrieu in France’s northern Rhône.”

Yalumba’s first commercial plantings of viognier had been back in 1980, so by the time Rose arrived the vines had started to settle down. But, she admits, it took her a while to get to grips with this strange variety – it behaved so differently to other grapes.

“We made a lot of mistakes, we picked it too early at the same time as riesling and made wines with no flavour at all. The next vintage we picked later at a similar time to shiraz,” she says.

“Even in the vineyard viognier behaves like a red wine. It likes to get sunburnt, wrinkly and shrivel up, which is more of a red grape trait.”

In the winery, she turned everything on its head: no additives, no cultured yeasts, no chilling – just pressed the grapes straight to the fermenting tank.

One of viognier’s great traits is its wonderful heady aromas. Spice, floral, apricot and peach and on the palate and in Australian examples it has a softness and sweetness because of its low acidity, making the unoaked examples so approachable.

Rose agrees that viognier is at its most beautiful and vibrant as a young wine, and not many people age it – apart from her.

In my own experience with tasting groups, it is not a grape that appeals to everyone, but it is incredibly food friendly as it can manage sophisticated flavours.

Looking to the future, Rose reckons that viognier is going to be able to cope well with Australia’s increasingly warm summers, as it likes dry conditions.

“We also love experimenting with new varieties – those showing good potential are tempranillo and albarino in Australia,” she says. “My own money is on Spain’s verdejo grape which we recently planted, which gives freshness, zestiness and vibrancy even in a hot climate.”

Viognier is still her favourite. So much so that she has even designed her own glass to enjoy her premium Virgilius. “The ideal viognier glass has a big bowl and is closed at the top to capture the grape’s wonderful heady aromas,” she says.

Three faces of viognier

(all screwcapped and vegan friendly)

Y Series Viognier 2019, Yalumba

The backbone of this blend is from irrigated vineyards in warmer Murray River, but Rose also blends in cooler vineyard sites from unirrigated sites in Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills to add freshness. This unoaked dry viognier has a sweetsour note typical of the grape. Heady aromas of orange blossom with fresh pineapple flavours, figgy notes and lovely silky smooth texture.

£8, Majestic Wine; Morrisons; Sainsburys; Marks & Spencer; Co-op

Organic Viognier 2019, Yalumba

All grapes for this organic viognier come from warmer Murray River in the Riverland region, where one of Yalumba’s growers decided to go for organic certification and proved successful. Herby fennel notes, saline undertones and a juicy earthiness with a touch of leesy richness. Despite its warm location, this unoaked viognier is more savoury than the Y series.

£10, Tesco; Waitrose; Aitken Wines

The Virgilius 2017, Yalumba

Only 400 cases were made of this flagship viognier; a very different beast from old vines in cool elevated Eden Valley. It has barrel fermentation flavours and leesy richness, with sleekness, elegance and a long finish – but is more savoury, restrained and tightly wound. Unusually for viognier this will improve with a few years in bottle, to enable the stone fruits and spiciness to come to the fore. ■

£30, Amazon

Join Rose’s virtual wine tastings: ‘Meet the Winemakers’ on Fridays 12 & 19 June with Raeburn Fine Wines, www. rosemurraybrown.com