Most of you know I’m not a big fan of white wine. I love bold, powerful red wines. However, my friend turned me onto Viognier last summer. Actually, I turned her on to wine in general and since she leans toward a more sweeter wine I decided to tackle the lighter white wines last summer. I literally fell in love with Viognier and I consider Viognier my premiere spring/summer wine. It tastes delicious chilled, especially on a warm evening sitting by the pool.

Viognier is a semi-sweet white wine. Here’s an interesting tip about our palates and why we lean towards sweet or dry wines. For those wine drinkers who enjoy more sweet, white wines, you lean towards the French palate (if you love chocolate and sweets then you probably are going to enjoy a sweeter wine). However, if you enjoy hearty, bold red wines (like Zinfandel, Cabs, etc.), you lean towards the Italian palate (strong, bold spicy flavors).

Viognier (pronounced Vee-on-yay) got its start in 1965 in the northern Rhone homeland of Condrieu (France). Although, France isn’t the only region producing Viognier. California and Australian also produce some excellent Viognier. South America is also starting to experiment with this varietal as well.

Viognier boasts floral aromas (which are also found in Muscat and Riesling wines) and pairs well with spicy food like Thai or Vietnamese cuisine.

Here are some of my Viognier recommendations:

Michael-David Incognito (Lodi, CA)

2007 Yalumba South Australian Viognier

2003 Robert Hall Winery Viognier (Paso Robles, CA)

Smoking Loon Viognier (Sonoma, CA)

Cinquante-Cinq Viognier (France)

If you don’t think Viognier is for you, I’d highly suggest you taste it. You’ll be very surprised at the results and you might just turn into a Viognier convert.

PS–this blog is dedicated to my friend, Chris. Thanks for turning me on to Michael-David Incognito! The elixir of the vino goddesses.

Cheers! Happy Wine Drinking!