Viognier (vee-own-yay) is a full-bodied white wine that originated in southern France.
Dominant flavors include Tangerine, Peach, Nectarine, Apricot, Lemon, Lime, Mango, Orange Blossom, Honeysuckle, Rose, White Pepper.
These thick-skinned grapes are usually dry to off-dry in style.
Viognier wine is known for aroma of stone fruits and flowers and a floral nose of vanilla and nutmeg. Naturally low in acidity, the Viognier grape requires a great deal of sunshine to ripen properly.
Viognier is a perfect summer time wine.
Fun Fact
Viognier was near extinction in the 1960s with only 35-acres in the world, located solely in Condrieu and Chateau – Grillet (France). By the 1970s Australian and Californian winemakers fostered a renaissance for the varietal. The grape has made a remarkable recovery and more widely grown today.
WHERE TO FIND THE VIOGNIER GRAPE
Viognier is widely grown in France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, United States, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and even Japan. Well-known – and top producing – regions include the Rhone Valley in France, the Central Coast in the U.S., and Southern Australia.
The Eden Valley in Australia produces some of the finest examples of Viognier wines.
WHEN IS THE RIGHT MOOD FOR VIOGNIER WINE?
HOW TO ENJOY VIOGNIER WINE
VIOGNIER FOOD PAIRING
Viognier wine is very food-friendly. It pairs well with Chicken, Pork Chops, White Fish, Shellfish, Basil, Thyme, Fennel, Dill, Fennel, Goat Cheese and Crème fraîche.
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR VIOGNIER WINE
Glassware: The wine should be consumed in a white wine glass
Shelf life: About 2 years.
Bottle prices: About $20 – $30; Californian Viognier and Rhone styles can be up to $40.
VIOGNIER WINE RECOMMENDATIONS
Looking for Viognier recommendations? Here are a few suggested sips.
Stags’ Leap
Viognier
(Napa Valley)(Sicily, Italy)
Maia Parish
Carpe Travel collaborated with Maia Parish to compile the grape varietal overviews. Maia Parish is an award-winning events producer, sommelier, wine judge, and media consultant. She lives in Denver, Colorado and likes to eat copious amounts of food. You can find her here www.linktr.ee/thewinemistress.
Maia Parish is the owner of The Wine Suite and creator of The Tales of a Wine Mistress blog. Her events and tastings are featured at national festivals and tradeshows. She has her own broadcast called Tales of a Wine Mistress, on iGTV, Facebook Watch, and Twitter Live. Maia is a Wine Judge for the Denver International Wine Competition, Drink Pink Vino International Festival, Port and Fortified, and the Pairsine Food and Wine Competitions. She was a guest panelist for the 2016 Wine Bloggers Conference and was featured in the Women in Wine Issue for R.H. Drexel’s Loam Baby Volume 6, and was voted as the under over 40 Top African Americans in Wine. She was also published in SommJourmal with Karen McNeil’s the Status of Women in the Wine Industry. Swirl Suite and is working on two upcoming podcasts. She is a former private caterer and events producer.
Maia is a mom of one, sister to many, friend to food, a semi-tech nerd, TV fanatic, big hair and don’t care fashionista, and entrepreneur. She lives in Denver. She lives to learn and educate people about the wine lifestyle, why because pouring make her happy.