Travelling winter light shining through a glass of Viognier.
Travelling Light
Sun is warming the yellow Viognier in my glass.
Mango flavours with nutmeg spice,
fresh spritz for a winter afternoon
travelling light is the only way to enjoy the sunset
colours in my glass.
JJ Cale is playing.
The wind is gusting.
The sun is setting.
Lazy wintery wine moods.
Last weekend I tasted the Vrede and Lust Viognier wine on a breezy winter afternoon. The travelling light shines through my glass, listening to JJ Cale. The fruity aromas with hints of orange on the nose are fresh and fragrant. The viognier taste offers delicate spice notes with creaminess on the palate, balanced with light use of oak.
Viognier White Wine
It is unthinkable that Viognier almost became extinct in the nineteen-eighties. Yet, today, Viognier grapes are grown in nearly every wine region around the world.
Viognier is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhône Valley. Outside of the Rhône, Viognier grows in Cape Winelands in South Africa.
It’s certainly not a cool-climate variety, and it needs sun and warm temperatures to express the wine’s perfume.
The sweetness of Viognier wine is dry with hints of sweetness. The wine colour is white, and the colour of the grapes and skin are also white.
A viognier wine shelf life is five to six years. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that well-made viogniers optimum ageing is five to six years with good cellaring. The exposure to oxygen you get in oak barrels is beneficial to Viognier and benefits the wines ageing process.
What is a viognier wine taste profile?
Viognier wines have an oily taste sensation, which is a characteristic of the viognier grape. The drier styles are less fruity, with subtle bitterness on the palate. The after taste is creamy with hints of ginger spice.
How to Drink Viognier wine
Don’t drink Viognier too cold. You will mute the perfume and peachy spicy taste and aromas of the wine if it is too cold in your glass. The suggested serving temperature for Viognier is ten-degree celsius and a little higher if the weather is cold.
Viognier Aging Potential
The grape varietal Viognier is one of the white wines with good ageing potential. The winemaker harvests Viognier grapes early, to then age the wine in oak barrels before bottling. Viognier qualities are rich and complex, with hints of overripe apricots. The dry style white wine has similarities to Chardonnay but delivers more tropical fruit aromas. Viognier has a beautiful deep golden colour with intense flavours. I think fuller-bodied white wines age well. It is personal, and you need to taste aged white wine to decide if you enjoy drinking aged Viognier.
What food to pair with Viognier?
The full, fragrant aromas of Viognier wine pairs best with Thai food, Indian food and seafood, especially shellfish.
It is a wine that shines with fruity barbeque sauce dishes and foods with mango chutney or pineapple salsa. However, be careful of acidic dishes. It will overpower your wine. Viognier also pairs well with slow-cooked vegetables and salty, fatty snacks such as Cashew nuts and Macadamia nuts.
Enjoy a glass of Viognier wine with delicious food pairings. A variety of seafood, shellfish, roasted or grilled chicken, veal, pork, and spicy flavoured Asian food pair well with a chilled glass of Viognier. Viognier is also delicious with selected vegetables, salad courses and hard or soft cheeses.
Why is Viognier added to Syrah?
Adding a small percentage of Viognier to fermenting Syrah is reputed to give a Syrah wine a deeper colour, a silkier texture and help accentuate the aroma of red fruits and floral characters.
Here is a list of 25 Viognier wines to buy in South Africa
1
Lismore Estate Reserve Viognier 2018
Greyton · South Africa
Average Price R 235
This wine is available from online merchants.
2
Lourensford Limited Release Viognier 2018
Stellenbosch · South Africa
Average Price R135
This wine is available from online merchants.
3
Idiom Viognier 2017
Stellenbosch · South Africa
Average price R 1,188.00
This wine is available from online merchants
4
Lismore The Age of Grace Viognier 2018
Cape South Coast · South Africa
Average price R 257.00
This wine is available from online merchants
5
Saronsberg Viognier 2018
Tulbagh · South Africa
Average price R 160.00
This wine is available from online merchants
6
The Foundry Viognier 2019
Stellenbosch · South Africa
Average price R 225.00
This wine is available from online merchants
7
Diemersfontein Carpe Diem Reserve Viognier 2018
Wellington · South Africa
Average price R 145.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
8
Ridgeback Viognier 2019
Paarl · South Africa
Average price R 180.00
This wine is available from online merchants
9
Kleinood Tamboerskloof Viognier 2020
Stellenbosch South Africa
Average price R 641.00
This wine is available from online merchants
10
Painted Wolf Penny Viognier 2018
Swartland · South Africa
Average price R 125.00
This wine is available from online merchants
11
Noble Hill Viognier 2019
Paarl · South Africa
Average price R 159.00
This wine is available from online merchants
12
Bellingham The Bernard Series Hand-Picked Viognier 2018
Coastal Region · South Africa
Average price R270.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
13
Flagstone Word Of Mouth Viognier 2018
Western Cape · South Africa
Average price R 126.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
14
The Fledge & Co Jikken Bareru Viognier 2018
Western Cape · South Africa
Average price R 225.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
15
Eagles’ Nest Viognier 2018
Constantia · South Africa
Average price R 218.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
16
Stellenbosch Viognier 2020
Stellenbosch · South Africa
Average price R125.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
17
Creation Viognier 2020
Walker Bay · South Africa
Average price R 140.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
18
Mount Rozier Men in White Coats Viognier
Western Cape · South Africa
Average price R 115.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
19
Massai Viognier 2019
Western Cape · South Africa
Average price R 100.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
20
De Grendel Viognier 2018
Durbanville · South Africa
Average price R 120.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
21
DeMorgenzon DMZ Viognier 2019
Stellenbosch · South Africa
Average price R 195.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
22
Swartland Winery Limited Release Viognier 2019 Swartland · South Africa
Average price R 85.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
23
Mount Rozier Bees Knees Viognier 2019
Western Cape · South Africa
Average price R 75.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
24
Ken Forrester Reserve Collection Viognier 2020 Stellenbosch · South Africa
Average price R 75.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
25
Alvi’s Drift Viognier 2020
Breede River Valley · South Africa
Average price R 76.00
This wine is available from online merchants.
A glass of Viognier and Country Music
Enjoy a glass of Viognier wine with story music from the farm fields of Canada.
The burned yellow coloured Viognier, chilled at sunset in the winter wind, tastes creamy. It is a creamy peach or lemon tart-tasting experience finished with hints of ginger biscuits on your palate. The wine is cold but warms you with every delicious sip.
While the sunlight fades into orange, Canadian singer-songwriter Colter Wall’s folk and traditional country stories set the tone. With a husky baritone, he sings about his native prairies. I can see the car window framing each passing landscape. “Tying knots in the Devils Tail” is playing.
Winter Warmth
winter light flow
winter warm glow
winter mellow yellow
Checkerboard Pannacotta
You drive up the West Coast until you drive into Vredenburg. At No 8 School street, you will find Graze Neighbourgood Eatery.
Would you? A delicious winter treat.
Dip your spoon into the Checkerboard Pannacotta, sit close to the heat, close the door, take a sip, let the cold winter rest outside while you let the velvety smooth dessert and muscat wine melt in your mouth.
It’s winter. Why not.
A West coast drive is on the horizon. If you find yourself in the Western Cape looking for an off the beaten track food experience, visit Graze Neigbourgood in Vredenburg. Together with his wife and brother, Rudolph serves coffee from the early morning with a hearty, savoury and sweet menu to enjoy.
Winter on the West coast is peaceful and cosy, with the rainy Atlantic ocean clouds rolling in over the hills.
If you enjoy wine, try a glass of Viognier before your dessert paired with dessert wine. I think you will find the flavour and aromas fresh and creamy with enough body for a winter wine.
