Name of varietal: Viognier
Common synonyms: Picotin Blanc, Bergeron, Barbin, Greffou, Rebolot, Vionnier, Petiti Vionnier, Viogne, Galopine, Vugava Bijela,
Parentage of the grape: unknown
History of the grape: Viognier is thought to be an indigenous grape of Croatia that was brought to the Rhone in France by the Romans. A fun story that may or not be true is that it was intended for Burgundy, to Beaujolais, and was packaged with Syrah vines that were intercepted by the Medieval French equivalent of the Jesse James gang around Condrieu in Rhone and there it stayed. It likely got its name from the Roman outpost Vienne. It was once widely planted in France, but because it is tricky to grow, once Phylloxera struck, it was only replanted in a few places. Condrieu is the only Rhone appellation that is 100% Viognier. In other areas, besides rare varietal releases, small amounts of it are used as a blending component to red Syrah for body. It eventually made its
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Name of varietal: Viognier
Common synonyms: Picotin Blanc, Bergeron, Barbin, Greffou, Rebolot, Vionnier, Petiti Vionnier, Viogne, Galopine, Vugava Bijela,
Parentage of the grape: unknown
History of the grape: Viognier is thought to be an indigenous grape of Croatia that was brought to the Rhone in France by the Romans. A fun story that may or not be true is that it was intended for Burgundy, to Beaujolais, and was packaged with Syrah vines that were intercepted by the Medieval French equivalent of the Jesse James gang around Condrieu in Rhone and there it stayed. It likely got its name from the Roman outpost Vienne. It was once widely planted in France, but because it is tricky to grow, once Phylloxera struck, it was only replanted in a few places. Condrieu is the only Rhone appellation that is 100% Viognier. In other areas, besides rare varietal releases, small amounts of it are used as a blending component to red Syrah for body. It eventually made its way into the New World were it has become a popular varietal, particularly in California as part of the “Rhone Ranger” movement and Australia, where it is often produced in the Rhone style on its own and also blended with Syrah.
Characteristics of the grape: light to medium-bodied, green and golden apple, fresh apricot, white peach, lemon, white flowers, white pepper.
Regions where the grape is currently important: Condrieu and other parts of the Rhone and Languedoc in France, California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Australia, Argentina, Chile.
Type or types of wines the grape produces: light to full-bodied dry white wines, red blends, late harvest, sparkling
– Description from
Amanda Schuster
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