Finding Viognier's Appeal

VIOGNIER ISN'T a grape variety with immediate appeal. Indeed, it wasn't long ago that its presence was limited to the odd row of vines planted amid the fruit trees of Condrieu, the northern Rhône village that is perhaps its most famous appellation. There, growers such as André Perret produce plump and fat examples bursting with flavors of ripe apricots, peaches and summer flowers.

Drinking Now

Viognier Anakena
Rapel Valley, Chile

Vintage: 2009
Price: about £8, €10 or $13
Alcohol content: 13.5%

This wine impresses with its immediate, mouth-filling and pungent flavor. It sits in the glass with a pale hue, and there is a very strong, almost overpowering smell of apricots with notes of ginger and rose petals.

But scarcity isn't the only factor in its limited appeal. Its taste profile, while on the one hand able to offer excitement and intrigue for the connoisseur wishing to broaden his palate, can on the other hand provide something of a shock for the uninitiated used to the familiar flavors of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Pale-gold colored in the glass, it provides a chewy, mouth-filling texture low in acidity, combined with a heady, floral aroma. The nose, often exhibiting notes of apricots, peaches, honeysuckle, blossom and rose petals, can deceive as being that of a sweet wine. Yet Viognier is dry and once swallowed, leaves the palate refreshed with a long, savory, mineral aftertaste.

In Condrieu, the Viogniers enjoy a long aging potential and I have always thought they provide a useful, and, in the case of growers such as Paul Jaboulet, good-value addition to a cellar. Outside of Condrieu, they don't tend to age as well and, as a rule of thumb, it's advisable to drink them when young, before their distinctive aroma loses some of its punch.

The grape, as well as being an acquired taste, also is quite tricky to grow, winemakers say. It needs plenty of sun and is also susceptible to the fungal disease powdery mildew that can destroy the aroma compounds in grapes and leave them smelling slightly of mould.

Despite this, the grape variety has been undergoing something of a resurgence in recent years. I was reminded of this during a recent lunch with Chris Bonsall, current chairman of The International Wine and Food Society, the august institution founded in 1933 by the great gourmet and historian André Simon. Mr. Bonsall informed me that he had recently been enjoying Australian Viognier. His recommendation was Haan Prestige Viognier 2005 from Tanunda in South Australia. Moreover, he added that the grape variety was experiencing something of a revival in Australia, where the wines didn't have the aging potential of Condrieu but more than made up for it in fruit and character. Intrigued, I made a note to unearth some Australian Viognier, only to find out that it wasn't just Australia that is planting Viognier. A quick search led me to examples in South Africa, the Mendoza valley in Argentina and throughout Chile. In California, Bob Lindquist at Qupé blends it with Chardonnay to some effect. I have also tasted it blended with Riesling, which gives it a zesty kick. So I organized a mini tasting to see how it compares with those grown in the northern Rhône.

What immediately struck me was the overwhelming distinctiveness of these wines. Rather like Riesling or, indeed, Muscat they provide a unique taste. Undoubtedly summer wines, given the floral notes I have described earlier, they are perhaps best paired with lighter salads, cold, lightly flavored seafood or dishes with an Asian influence. My personal favorite would be Viognier paired with lightly flavored curries, sushi and certain cheeses such as warmed Camembert spread on a hunk of bread.

One Viognier that stood out for its immediate, fruit-forward appeal was Anakena's Viognier from the Rapel Valley in Chile. Anakena is a relative newcomer to the international wine scene. The winery is the brainchild of Chilean entrepreneur Felipe Ibáñez and former Wines of Chile President Jorge Gutiérrez. Its first vintage was in 2001 after the vines were planted in 1999. I visited the winery, which sits in the foothills of the Andes in 2005 and found it to be winemaking on a very modern scale. Not only was it kitted out with everything one would expect in a brand new winery such as stainless fermentation tanks, but back then winemaker Gonzalo Pérez also was analyzing soil types and climatic readings obtained from satellites. They used this information to decide which vines were best matched to which soil types. It seemed a long way from the villages of the northern Rhône, where white grape varieties such as Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Rolle have been cultivated for centuries.

Write to WILL LYONS at wsje.weekend@wsj.com