This is an ancient grape with conflicting stories about how it found its way into France. Most believe it was brought in by the Romans from the Dalmatians in the third century. This wonderful grape almost disappeared from production with less than 18 hectares left in Condrieu, located in the Rhone Valley of France, in the 1960s. Luckily for the grape, and for all white wine lovers in California, the grape was seen as an alternative to the too trendy Chardonnay grape, and brought to California in the 1980s.

The recent popularity of this grape is due to its great roundness and incredible aromatic characteristics with a body more like cream than wine. Using too much oak will overwhelm these delicate fragrances, so most winemakers are very restrained in their use of new barrels with these wines. The light use of oak is one of the great attractions for many people who are tired of over use of oak with some of the Chardonnays in California.

Cultivation: Very difficult to grow and a fickle, unpredictable producer, Viognier creates a never ending list of challenges for the grower and winemaker alike. Yields are naturally low, and even if higher yields are achieved, the resulting wine will lack the exotic aromas one expects from this grape. In addition, these grapes must be picked at exactly the right time, generally past the full development of the sugars, in order to achieve full fragrance potential, making harvest dangerously late in the season. In fact, Viognier is often the last grape on the vines at the end of the season, always a gamble. Viognier dislikes heavy soils and grapes grown in them often create a flat tasting, dull wine. As if that isn't enough, this grape is also susceptible to a number of pests and vine maladies meaning that those who create wines from this finicky grape does it out of a love for its incredible potential.

Flavor Profiles: Here's where Viognier excels; its incredible ability to produce a seductive perfume few other wines can imitate. The fruit is can especially entrancing with apricot, grapefruit, pears, peaches and tropical fruit the most common. But its the heady floral perfumes that can be intoxicating ranging from honeysuckle and jasmine to primrose. It is also common to find candied orange peel, spice and some a lovely muskiness. The body of Viognier is lovely and round with a mouthfeel of pure cream or lanolin. Acidity is low, and alcohol can be well over 13. Sadly, this is not a wine that ages well. Often if left in the bottle too long it will lose the wonderful aromatics, replaced by an impression of beeswax. So if you get a bottle of Viognier you are particularly fond of, don't save it too long, enjoy it!

Wine Pairing Considerations: Viognier usually pairs well with the same foods as Gewurztraminer; foods with a little spice. It works very well with the aromatic herbs, such as rosemary and saffron making it particularly popular with Indian dishes. The lusciousness of Viognier makes it a natural with rich seafood and creamy sauces, but try it with chicken or pork with a apricot sauce or fruit salsa.

Major California Growing Regions: Award winning Viogniers are coming from many regions of California, including: Capay Valley,Central Coast, Contra Costa, Lake County, Livermore, Lodi, Mendocino County, Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara County, Sierra Foothills, Sonoma County, Temecula.