KEY POINTS:
Viognier is back from the brink of extinction, with New Zealand swiftly becoming one of the few countries spearheading its renaissance.
Viognier (pronounced vee-on-yay) is a highly distinctive, full-bodied aromatic variety with a quixotic character that tends to divide people in terms of taste.
When pinning down its charms, British wine writer Jancis Robinson aptly described it as embodying the floral freshness of riesling and the spice of gewurztraminer with the weight of a chardonnay.
Often highly perfumed, viognier can also possess an intriguing salty-savoury, umami-like flavour and an intensity that makes it easy to see why it's been called a red wine drinker's white.
It's always relatively high in alcohol, which with its oily texture and the grape's naturally low acidity, can give the impression of sweetness when in fact most are dry.
It has a history that is as rich as its flavours. Thought to originate in Dalmatia, one story has it that it reached its heartland, France's Rhone Valley, quite by chance when a Roman barge carrying viognier cuttings bound for Beaujolais was hijacked by bandits in the Rhone region.
These cuttings consequently came to be planted in Condrieu and Chateau Grillet, where winemakers went on to make some of the most prized whites of the world, as well as in the Cote Rotie which saw it blended with the red variety, syrah.
Viognier is a notoriously capricious variety to grow and often bears very little fruit.
Growers must also wait for its flavours to develop when grapes are ultra-ripe, and that can arrive suddenly and depart just as quickly, leaving a very small window in which to pick the fruit in its fragrant glory.
It was doubtless its capricious nature that meant that it fell out of favour in France, with just 14ha of the variety remaining by 1968.
However, from the 1990s it started to experience a gradual revival, spurred by interest from the likes of the Rhone Rangers experimenting in California.
This kick-started plantings in the Rhone and beyond, spreading to countries such as Australia, Chile and now New Zealand.
Te Mata Estate was the first winery in this country to produce viognier, back in 1996, with a success that encouraged others to start planting the variety.
As a grape that needs a fair bit of heat, viognier vineyards are mainly concentrated in the North Island, in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne.
Though still only produced in tiny quantities, as the country makes increasingly exciting examples it is starting to create a big buzz. Albeit from a small base, it's one of New Zealand's fastest growing wine styles.
Perhaps pinot gris should watch out, as it could very well be viognier that's the next variety in vogue.
Exotic Tastes
Viognier's relative rarity and low yield means it doesn't tend to come cheap. However, there are some great examples at reasonable prices coming out of Gisborne and Australia in particular, that can provide an impressive introduction to the variety.
Silk and spice
The Millton Vineyard Growers Series Viognier Briant Vineyard 2006 $26.95
Millton were one of the earlier wineries to embrace viognier in New Zealand and make some beautifully textural examples. This one, sourced from a mixture of their own and growers' vineyards in Gisborne is soft and silky, with layers of honeysuckle, fresh pears, apricots and white pepper.
From Caro's, Fine Wine Delivery Company and other fine wine stores.
Rich pickings
TW Wines Gisborne Viognier 2006 $22
A voluptuous viognier with a lush palate of fresh apricots, musky peaches, mandarin peel and a hint of spice, from another producer with a long track record with the variety and vines dating back over a decade (some fruit from which was also included in the Millton viognier). TW also makes a delicious dessert viognier, well worth trying.
From Milford Cellars, The Wine Vault.
Pacific pioneers
Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2006 $16
Although Yalumba only produced its first viognier in the 80s, the Australian winery's success and commitment to the variety means it is now probably the world's largest producer. If anyone can coax viognier to do great things at lower prices it's Yalumba. This easy drinking example has attractive dried apricot fruit, spice and a squeeze of citrus.
From Caro's, First Glass and other fine wine stores.
