V
is for Valentine’s Day
Miss
Manners (Judith Martin) says “There are three possible parts to a date, of
which at least two must be offered: entertainment, food, and affection. It is
customary to begin a series of dates with a great deal of entertainment, a
moderate amount of food, and the merest suggestion of affection. As the amount
of affection increases, the entertainment can be reduced proportionately. When
the affection IS the entertainment, we no longer call it dating. Under no
circumstances can the food be omitted.” Nor the wine, says Diva
daVino.
V
is for Viognier (vee-oh-NYAY, or vee-oh-NAY, sometimes even VEE-ohn-yay)
More than 90% of quality white wine is made from
these three grapes - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling – according to
Kevin Zraly, wine educator, Windows on the World Wine School. Zraly calls
Viognier not as full-bodied as most Chardonnays, nor as light as most Sauvignon
Blancs. I would add, not as sweet as most Old World Rieslings. Viognier wines
are known for their powerful floral and fruit aromas, and, ideally, a dry
finish.
Zraly believes the grape grows best in the Rhone
Valley of France and California. In the 1998 edition of “Windows on the World
Complete Wine Course,” he names the two most famous white wines of France’s Rhone
Valley as Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet, a minuscule AOC within the Condrieu AOC
owned by a single winery Chateau-Grillet. Both are all-Viognier appellations.
Once in danger of extinction, Viognier grapes are now
also grown throughout the world (Argentina, Austria, Australia, Chile, Greece, Italy,
Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland), Canada (British
Columbia, Ontario), and in 13 states (Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas,
Washington, Virginia). In 2011, the Virginia Wine Board designated Viognier as
the state wine grape. FYI - for the Virginia wine aficionados in the group, it
has been suggested that Cab Franc be designated the signature red.
The wide-ranging terrior means your bottle of
Viognier will also range in taste. If you read the wine reviews at http://buyingguide.winemag.com,
you’ll get an idea of what awaits. Highest rated at 95 points is Arrowood 2009
Saralee’s Vineyard Viognier (Russian River Valley) at $30: “brilliant,
completely satisfying, sunny California terrior in the ripe lemon, peach, and
mango flavors, finishes dry, steely minerality, just gorgeous.” Of course,
selection won’t be simple as one of the lower rated at 82 points is Brotte 2003
Domaine du Versant Dore Viognier (Condrieu) at $48: “odd stuff, vegetal notes
in place of ripe floral aromas expected, slightly oily mouth feel.”
Viognier
for Valentine's Day
“Viognier could truly be said to be the hedonist’s
white grape variety” according to Jancis Robinson, author and wine blogger (www.JancisRobinson.com),
“the best Viognier has this heady characteristic scent that one feels envelopes
the glass and drinker in a cloud.”
A hedonistic wine is fitting for a festival whose
origin is a pagan festival of fertility - Lupercalia,. Luperci, an order of
Roman priests, would sacrifice a goat for fertility, strip its hide, dip the
strips in the sacred blood, and roam the streets slapping both women and crop
fields with the bloody strips in the belief it would make them more fertile in
the coming year. WooHoo!
In a quick trip to three local wine & liquor
shops, I netted a selection of Viognier: Tortoise Creek Wines 2010 Viognier “Le
Verger” (Languedoc region of France), Peirano Estate Vineyards Viognier 2009
Lodi (California), Yalumba Viognier 2012 South Australia. FYI Yalumba’s interest and plantings are widely
credited with saving Viognier from extinction.
So this Valentine’s Day, try a Viognier! Which one? Let’s
turn to Stephen Stills (yes, that Stephen Stills) for advise – “love the one, love
the one, love the one you’re with.”
