A Viognier Monologue

Many point to its unpronounceable name but viognier, the experts say (vee-OWN-yay), should be doing better in a curious market like Vancouver. So, is it a wine consumers do not like, or is it a wine they don't know.

It's likely the latter, aided by non-existent marketing by producers, agents and retailers alike. It may seem odd, but in some ways I'm looking forward to the coming downturn in wine. It should separate the players from the poseurs, and there are plenty of the latter who joined the wine game when you could sell just about anything at any price.

In North Vancouver and Victoria, Everything Wine is doing what a private wine store should be doing by offering an impressive selection of 44 viogniers, of which more than half differ from government store labels. Certainly with a little onsite education and tasting, and support from the wineries who are lucky to have their wines on the shelves, viognier could still take off.

The origins of viognier is in the tiny, but distinguished, home of Condrieu in the northern Rhone Valley, but with so few producers (none are sold in government stores), you would be hard pressed to find more than half a dozen anywhere in town.

The good news is the attractive honeysuckle and mineral scented white is growing in prominence outside of France and foremost in Australia, where the folks at Yalumba are leading worldwide research. Impressive wines are also coming out of California, Argentina, Chile and right here in British Columbia.

It's not an easy grape to grow; yields are seldom predictable and often scrawny. At the aforementioned Yalumba, winemaker and educator Jane Ferrari says, "The scruffy vines are low in vigour and often sport more bunches than leaves." At Yalumba, after many years of research, the crucial information they are disseminating to growers is wait for flavour development.

I'm told you can be in the vineyard one day tasting fruit and there is no flavour; the next afternoon the fruit tastes and smells like a basket of ripe apricots and it's ready to pick. While its colour and nose might suggest a sweet tasting wine, viognier is invariably dry. Its plethora of flavours span the gamut from mineral/apricot, white peach, and candied orange peel to kiwi, apricot, lime, honeysuckle, pineapple, honey and even ginger.

Viognier doesn't really need a lot of oak to shine and its naturally lower acidity suggests little if any oak might be the best route of all. Depending on the ripeness and fruit, they can be served with a wide variety food - from Mexican and Thai to simply prepared classic French seafood dishes. Or you can sip it solo.

The champion value entry is the Cono Sur Viognier Limited Release 2007. This Colchagua-based Chilean wine simply over-delivers for the price. Citrus, honeysuckle, mineral, butter, orange blossom and sausage meat mark its nose, while the palate is fresh and crisp with good finesse. The flavours are typically juicy with green apple, peach, ginger, citrus, honeysuckle and butter notes. Fine intensity in a more delicate style. Continued great value and under screwcap for easier access.

Across the Andes a competing value is the Santa Julia Viognier 2008, sourced from Mendoza, Argentina. Ginger, spice and light honey preview a dry and elegant palate with juicy pear, peach skin, ginger, butter, lemon and orange flavours. A simple, fresh style with good acidity. Fine value here.

The last time I tasted the Gerard Bertrand Classic Viognier 2006, form the Languedoc I thought it was decent value for $17. Today it lists for only $12 and its dry, round, palate with canned grapefruit, ginger, mineral, grassy, lemon oil flavours never tasted better. A medium-weight white for lighter seafood and white meat dishes.

South Africa gets into the act with the Excelsior Paddock Viognier 2008, from Robertson. Orange, honey, ginger, grassy, grapefruit rind, light green herb nose. Fresh, crisp, round, elegant style with a touch of sweetness. Peach skin, honey, ginger, leesy, orange, green apple skin, grassy citrus flavours. Light extract, but attractive for drinking or with seafood.

Our final two picks take viognier to another level. Yalumba Viognier Eden Valley 2007 is a big step up in intensity with its rich mineral, ginger, spicy, waxy, floral, peach nose. Similarly the palate is weighty, but elegant, with honey, acacia, lees, butter, vanilla, orange and creamsicle flavours. This has fine balance and length with bits of candied citrus and nectarine in the finish.

The pinnacle of the Yalumba viognier program is the Yalumba Viognier Virgilius 2007, another Eden Valley label. Look for a jump in intensity that reveals a spicy lees, ginger, and honey, mineral nose with flecks of grass, grapefruit and orange peel. It has similar flavours and a super rich texture in the mouth, but it is drier and more elegant than the regular Eden Valley label.

Price: $11

UPC: 7804320405407

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Continued great value and now in Stelvin.

SANTA JULIA VIOGNIER 2008, MENDOZA, ARGENTINA

Price: $12

UPC: 07791728000320

Score: 86/100

Remarks: Simple, fresh mid-week white with good acidity.

GERARD BERTRAND CLASSIC VIOGNIER 2006, VIN DE PAYS D'OC, LANGUEDOC, FRANCE

Price: $12

UPC: 3514122100410

Score: 86/100

Remarks: It was good at $17; it's a real bargain at $12.

EXCELSIOR PADDOCK VIOGNIER 2008, ROBERTSON, BREEDE RIVER VALLEY, SOUTH AFRICA

Price: $15

UPC: 06004470000083

Score: 87/100

Remarks: Light, attractive style for sipping or serving with seafood.

YALUMBA VIOGNIER EDEN VALLEY 2007, EDEN VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Price: $28

UPC: 9311789079745

Score: 91/100

Remarks: Fine balance and length, one of their best efforts.

WINE YALUMBA VIOGNIER VIRGILIUS 2007, EDEN VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Price: $51 ( Everything Wine)

UPC: 9311789001036

Score: 93/100

Remarks: Spicy, ginger, creamsicle, orange and honey notes.