A white grape, Viognier is the only permitted variety for Condrieu and Château Grillet on the west bank of the Rhône and is also used to add fragrance to, soften and lighten red wines in Côte Rotie. Plantings in France have expanded from the Rhône, to Languedoc with smaller plantings in Roussillon and Provence. The grape needs a long growing season in a warm environment, but can handle cooler conditions.
The arrival of phylloxera in the 1800s, and the abandonment of vineyards during World War I meant that by 1965 the variety was nearly extinct. Plantings have expanded since then and Viognier is also grown in Italy, California, South Africa, New Zealand and Japan. It’s not the first grape variety to come back from the brink of extinction, and Viognier certainly won’t be the last.
The variety is thought to have originated in Dalmatia and arrived in the Rhône, along with Syrah, during the Roman occupation. DNA profiling in 2004 showed the grape to be related to Italian Freisa and Nebbiolo. The origin of the name is also uncertain. There’s probably a more prosaic reality but Hughesy’s vote has the name being drawn from the Roman pronunciation of the via Gehennae, or road to Hell, a reference to the difficulty of growing the variety.
Although it is drought tolerant, Viognier is easily infected with powdery mildew, has unpredictable yields and needs to be picked at the right time. The fruit flavours arrive in a rush at the end of the ripening process. When the grower gets it right deep yellow grapes produce wine high in alcohol with a strong perfume, but pick too early and the grapes won’t have developed fully, and if they're left too long the result is an oily wine that lacks perfume.
That distinctive perfume adds depth of flavour and enhances the fragrance of the red wine when blended with large quantities of Shiraz. There’s usually only a small proportion of Viognier in the blend. Apart from Shiraz Viognier blends, the variety can also be blended with Roussanne, Marsanne or Chardonnay.
The main appeal in straight Viognier lies in rich, powerful, complex floral aromas, so the wine is best consumed young as you’d expect the perfume to disappear as the time passes. Wines from old vines or late-harvest styles may be suitable for aging, but Viognier more than three years old tends to lose the floral aromas, resulting in a crisp drinking wine almost completely flat in the nose.
The best wines have distinctive fruit characters, a weighty mid-palate, a combination of savoury and sweet flavours, a defined structure and a creamy mouth feel. They usually have very deep colour, but tend to be relatively low in acidity. Most are fruity and richly flavoured, with more citrus character in cool climates while warmer areas produce more honeysuckle notes. Without wood aging, they can be as full-bodied as an oaked Chardonnay, sharing the same intensity of flavour.
Common descriptors used include flowers, peaches and stone fruits (mostly apricot) and spices.
Given the aromatics you’d expect Viognier to match up with mildly spiced dishes. Lighter styles from cooler climates would suit seafood, while richer wines could be lined up with pork and chicken. The spicy characteristics of the variety mean it might be best to avoid anything with more than a dash of chilli.