Passionate About Restaurants

Warming Up to Viognier

By Elliot Ryan

The optimum beverage to be drinking during these fickle Spring months in New York, aside from an ice cold beer at Yankee Stadium on opening day, could be the somewhat rare and mysterious white wine, Viognier. Just as the damp and chilly nights at the Stadium often call for hot coffee rather than a cold one, this transitional period often has me longing for a red wine when dining out or entertaining at home. But Viognier offers itself up as a smart, fun and inexpensive alternative.

You may find yourself asking: Why would I be interested in exploring Viognier? First off, it's a nice way to buck the trend of sticking to your classic standbys like Chardonnay. More importantly, it can be fun to pair with a wide range of foods. Often recognized as a good companion to spicy Chinese and Thai food, Viognier can be served with a variety of other cuisines. It matches especially well with pork, fowl and fish dishes.

When made well, this white wine suggests powerful tropical fruit and floral aromas on the nose with rich flavors of white peach and apricot on the palate. Viognier is famously associated with the great French appellations of Condrieu and Chateau Grillet, where it is the only grape variety permitted to be grown. Due to their reputation and limited production, these wines from the northern Rhone can be inaccessibly expensive. I tend to gravitate towards the southern French Viogniers from the Languedoc, where the majority of French Viogniers are grown. In recent years, other regions have begun to produce interesting versions of Viognier. The Central Coast region in California and the Barrossa Valley in South Australia are two areas that have been gaining attention from the press and sommeliers around the city. These "new world" wines possess more fruit, alcohol and sweetness and tend to be more full-bodied than their French counterparts.

As a crop, it's a late ripening grape, temperamental (susceptible to a white powdery mold) and difficult to grow, which may explain one of the possible origins of its name. The wine writer Oz Clarke suggests Viognier is drawn from the Roman pronunciation of the "via Gehennae" meaning the "road to hell," probably coined by a frustrated Roman farmer. Cultivating the grape to capture its true essence can be challenging because it has to be picked when exactly ripe. When prematurely picked, the wine usually tastes of undeveloped fruit, which makes it flat and lacking in character. When picked too late, it gets oily, overweight and lacks acidity. It is suggested to drink Viognier when it is somewhat young (up to 4 years after its vintage is a safe range). Seasonally, it's a great wine to enjoy as your first taste of a Spring night and can be a versatile wine match for many menus.

There are several Manhattan wine bars and restaurants that pour Viognier by the glass. Soho stalwart Balthazar, Ara Wine Bar in the Meatpacking District, Seppi's in Midtown and Solex in the East Village each feature a version. You can also go into your favorite wine shop and ask for their recommendation. Take your newly purchased discovery to a neighborhood restaurant that allows you to bring your own bottle (usually for a small corkage fee). This will let you to explore your own food pairings with the grape.

The fact that there are no rules is the most important commandment to keep in mind when you're selecting a wine during New York's unpredictable Spring. Have fun exploring wine lists and bottle shop shelves and don't be afraid to try something new. Hopefully you'll be tempted by and even fall for Viognier as a fun alternative.

Elliot Ryan is a freelance writer and oenophile living in NYC.