On the last Friday in April — International Viognier Day on the wine calendar – drink a toast to this flavoursome white. Sometimes described as the “red wine drinker’s white” because it is so generous and textural, Viognier is a very food-friendly wine.
Defined by its perfumed aromas and alluring flavours, it pairs beautifully with a wide range of food, holding its head up high even alongside spicy Moroccan, Indian and Thai dishes.
Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, Yalumba, has dedicated more than 40 years to Viognier and has been instrumental in refining its expression in this country. When Yalumba first spotted Viognier in the early 1970s, plantings were limited to the tiny appellations of Condrieu and Côte Rôtie in the Rhône Valley region of France.
In 1980, at a time when every Barossa Valley winery was planting Chardonnay, Yalumba Family Winemakers planted 1.2 hectares in Eden Valley, a Barossa sub-region. It was the first significant planting of the variety in Australia and today these vines are some of the country’s oldest Viognier vines.
It was such a success that plantings have been extended to five vineyards across the region, and Yalumba is now recognised as one of the world’s most influential Viognier producers.
Viognier in various styles
Yalumba produces four Viognier wines in various styles and prices, from its flagship The Virgilius, to Samuel’s Collection Eden Valley Viognier, Yalumba GEN Organic Viognier and FSW Botrytis Viognier.
Enjoy exploring the depth and complexity of these lovely wines, basking in their delightful nuances and drinking a toast to a family-owned company that this year celebrates 175 years of winemaking.
Yalumba 2022 Eden Valley Viognier, $28: Such good value for the price, this is a fine wine with a pristine freshness, beautiful aromas of apricot and jasmine, and a flavoursome, blend of apricot, peach and mango.
Yalumba 2022 The Virgilius Viognier, $57: Flying the flag with enticing aromas of honeysuckle, apricot, ginger and cardamom, there’s some spice in the palate too, with a little cinnamon and nutmeg alongside flavours of apricot and almond. Complex and textural but at the same time delicate and silky. Go on, treat yourself.
Yalumba 2023 FSW Botrytis Viogner, $30: I adore a good dessert wine and this is up there with the best. Long and luscious with intense aromas and gorgeous flavours of peach, apricot, nectarine and spice, it has a delicate balance of sweetness and acidity. Try it with blue cheese – a match made in heaven – or do as Yalumba recommends and savour it with baklava, tarte Tatin and cinnamon ice cream, or lemon curd and meringue tartlets. I’d say yes to any of those.
www.internationalviognierday.com
www.yalumba.com
Photos supplied by Yalumba Family Winemakers and used with their permission.
**Enjoy more of our wine posts and recommendations here.**
