{"id":1923,"date":"2018-03-08T16:52:08","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T16:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/uncategorized\/viognier\/"},"modified":"2023-04-03T15:46:42","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T19:46:42","slug":"viognier-wine-grape-characteristics","status":"publish","type":"grape","link":"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/viognier-wine-grape-characteristics\/","title":{"rendered":"Viognier"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"hasHiddenText\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Editor&#8217;s Note: Winetraveler is a reader-supported publication and this article may contain affiliate links. We review and recommend all products independently. When you buy wine through our site, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.<\/span><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Viognier is a white wine grape variety known to produce full-bodied white wines of depth and profound flavor. It\u2019s a unique grape variety in that it\u2019s surprisingly aromatic and perfumy despite being a traditionally dry wine. The premier white wine grape of Northern <strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/wine-region\/rhone-valley\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rh\u00f4ne, France<\/a><\/strong>, Viognier wines can be difficult to craft since there is only a brief window when they can be harvested to acquire to best aromas and flavors. If not allowed to ripen fully, the grapes can have low acidity. When overripe, their distinctive floral aromas disappear.<\/p>\n<p>Viognier vines require sunny days over a long moderately warm growing season to attain optimal ripeness. Yields can also be relatively uneven and unpredictable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>IN THIS GUIDE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#taste\">Taste<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#pairings\">Pairings<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#terroir\">Terroir<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#aging\">Aging<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#recommendations\">Wine Recommendations<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>&#8230;and more<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong><a name=\"taste\"><\/a>What Does Viognier Taste Like? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Viognier produces a full-bodied, aromatic wine that classically displays stone fruit notes like peach and apricot, with some tropical fruit notes in there as well. For this reason, Chardonnay lovers tend to also enjoy Viognier, particularly if they\u2019re looking to move away from butter and toasty notes.<\/p>\n<p>Viognier can also display distinctive stoniness in its core, with the heady floral aromas evident from the first sniff. There can also be more savory floral notes like petunia, zinnia, or geranium.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><a name=\"pairings\"><\/a>Viognier Food Pairings<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Because of its full-bodied structure and rich fruit-forward flavor, the best Viogniers traditionally pair well with heavier fish and shellfish. Teriyaki salmon and Parmigiano-Reggiano risotto are also ideal pairings.<\/p>\n<p>Thai food, like General Tso&#8217;s chicken, works nicely being both a sweet and spicy dish. Crispy oyster bites basked in spicy aioli and mango-poblano pico bring out the fruit of Viognier well. Beyond seafood, four cheese pasta, risotto, teriyaki chicken, salmon, and grilled poultry all work beautifully.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><a name=\"terroir\"><\/a>Climate and Terroir for Viognier<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Viognier prefers a warm climate, partially due to its thick skin that requires extra heat to fully ripen. It can be rather fickle and prone to mildew, and it requires careful attention during ripening to make sure sugar and acidity levels are adequately balanced. Viognier vines require sunny days over a long moderately warm growing season to attain optimal ripeness. Yields can also be relatively uneven and unpredictable.<\/p>\n<p>Historically the main white grape of the Rh\u00f4ne Valley, Viogniers can also be found in California \u2013 particularly in the Central Coast where Rh\u00f4ne grapes thrive \u2013 Australia, <strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/chile\/chile-wine-regions\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chile<\/a><\/strong>, and even in New York&#8217;s <strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/new-york\/seneca-lake-itinerary-weekend-finger-lakes-ny\/\" target=\"_blank\">Finger Lakes region<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><a name=\"aging\"><\/a>How is Viognier Aged? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When harvested with higher acidity levels, Viognier can age well for years. <strong><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/424j\" target=\"_blank\">Chateau Grillet<\/a><\/strong>, the only appellation that is also only one producer in France, produces some of the best Viogniers in the world and they are very age-worthy. Similarly, neighboring Condrieu produces age-worthy Viogniers. At lower price points, most Viogniers are meant to be drunk young.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><a name=\"recommendations\"><\/a>Try these fantastic Viognier wine recommendations from around the world:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/424j\" target=\"_blank\">Ch\u00e2teau Grillet<\/a><\/strong>, Ch\u00e2teau Grillet, Rh\u00f4ne, France<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/ngja\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Domaine de la Janasse, \u2018Principaut d\u2019Orange,\u2019<\/strong><\/a> Rh\u00f4ne, France<\/li>\n<li><strong><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/y464\" target=\"_blank\">Stags\u2019 Leap Winery, Napa Valley<\/a><\/strong>, France<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/tru1\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Cambria, Tepusquet Vineyard<\/strong><\/a>, Santa Maria Valley, Santa Barbara County, California<\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/hbtx\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Yaluma, \u2018The Virgilius,\u2019<\/strong><\/a> Eden Valley, Barossa, South Australia, Australia<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pindar<\/strong>, North Fork of Long Island, New York<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Learn About These Other Wine Grape Varieties<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/chardonnay-wine-grape-characteristics\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Chardonnay<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/chenin-blanc\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Chenin Blanc<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/cabernet-sauvignon-taste-profile-food-pairing\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Cabernet Sauvignon<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/malbec-wine-grape-characteristics-taste-pairing\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Malbec<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/marsanne\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Marsanne<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/nebbiolo-wine-grape-characteristics\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Nebbiolo<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/petit-verdot\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Petit Verdot<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/pinot-grigio-wine-grape-characteristics-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Pinot Grigio<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><strong><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/pinot-meunier\/\" target=\"_blank\">Pinot Meunier<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/riesling\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Riesling<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/tannat\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Tannat<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/grape\/teroldego\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Teroldego<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Written By Jamie Metzgar<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; color: #333333;\">Jamie Elizabeth Metzgar began her career in wine by pouring in a tasting room on the East End of Long Island, NY. After moving to New York City, she landed a position at Chambers Street Wines where she was encouraged to pursue wine education at the Wine &amp; Spirits Education Trust (WSET). She earned Level III certification there and has since earned California Wine Appellation Specialist and Certified Specialist of Wine certifications as well. After way too many moves, she has recently landed in Northern California where she is compiling an unofficial roster of dog-friendly tasting rooms.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"jetpack_subscription_widget\"><h2 class=\"widgettitle\">Get Articles Like These Directly in Your Inbox!<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-jetpack-subscriptions__container\">\n\t\t\t<form action=\"#\" method=\"post\" accept-charset=\"utf-8\" id=\"subscribe-blog-1\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-blog=\"202258003\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-post_access_level=\"everybody\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"subscribe-text\"><p>Subscribe to Winetraveler and receive notifications when new articles are published.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p id=\"subscribe-email\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<label id=\"jetpack-subscribe-label\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"screen-reader-text\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfor=\"subscribe-field-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEmail Address\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/label>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" autocomplete=\"email\" required=\"required\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvalue=\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"subscribe-field-1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Email Address\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<p id=\"subscribe-submit\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"action\" value=\"subscribe\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"source\" value=\"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/grape\/1923\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"sub-type\" value=\"widget\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"redirect_fragment\" value=\"subscribe-blog-1\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" id=\"_wpnonce\" name=\"_wpnonce\" value=\"af6e538509\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/grape\/1923\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type=\"submit\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"wp-block-button__link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstyle=\"margin: 0; margin-left: 0px;\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tname=\"jetpack_subscriptions_widget\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign Me Up!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/form>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"wine_style":[920,183,232,1531],"class_list":["post-1923","grape","type-grape","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wine_style-dry-white-wines","wine_style-varietal","wine_style-white-blends","wine_style-white-wines","grapes-viognier","destinations-rhone","regions-california","regions-finger-lakes","regions-france","regions-rhone-valley"],"acf":{"featured":false,"content_title":"What is Viognier Wine?","origin":"Rhone, France","other_names":"","soil":"Varied (Clay, Gravel, Limestone)","climate":"Moderately Cool - Warm & Sunny","tabs_section_title":"","gallery":false,"flavor_items":[{"icon":false,"name":"Fruit","content":"<p>Tropical (Peach, Apricot, Apple)<\/p>\n"},{"icon":false,"name":"Earth & Mineral Notes","content":"<p>Gravel, Limestone,\u00a0Stone<\/p>\n"},{"icon":false,"name":"Additional Complexities","content":"<p>Petunias, Zinnia, Geranium<\/p>\n"}],"structure_content_title":"Structure & Body","structure_content":"","properties_title":"Viognier Wine Profile","properties":[{"name":"Body","value":"Medium-Full"},{"name":"Sugar","value":"Dry"},{"name":"Tannins","value":"Light"},{"name":"Acid","value":"Medium-Minus"},{"name":"Alcohol","value":"Medium-Plus"},{"name":"Finish","value":"Fruit-Forward, Medium"}],"food_pairings":[{"name":"Fatty Fish, Shellfish","photo":"https:\/\/www.winetraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/viognier-wine-food-pairing.jpg","description":"Because of it's full-bodied structure and rich fruit forward flavor, the best Viognier's traditionally pair well with heavier fish and shellfish. Teriyaki Salmon and Parmigiano-Reggiano Risotto. Thai food, like General Tso's chicken, works nicely\u00a0being both a sweet and spicy dish. Crispy oyster bites basked in spicy aioli and mango-poblano pico."},{"name":"Four Cheese Pasta, Risotto","photo":false,"description":""},{"name":"Teriyaki Chicken, Salmon","photo":false,"description":""},{"name":"Grilled Chicken","photo":false,"description":""}],"fun_facts":[{"title":"Although C\u00f4te-R\u00f4ties are predominately Syrah, small percentages of Viognier are blended in to provide its distinctive floral aroma."},{"title":"White blends from the Rh\u00f4ne that include Viognier are usually summertime favorites that are perfect for outdoor sipping."},{"title":"Viognier almost went extinct in the 1960s, with fewer than 50 acres of vineyard plot remaining between two Ch\u00e2teaus in Northern Rh\u00f4ne. It was saved in part due to winemakers making the extra effort to plant this stubborn grape variety throughout California."}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Viognier Wine Profile: Taste, Pairings &amp; Recommendations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Viognier is a white wine grape variety known to produce full-bodied white wines of depth and profound flavor. 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