white grape · major international
Viognier
Condrieu, Northern Rhône, France
Say it
vee·ohn·yay
Two common American variants: "vee-ON-yay" and "vee-OWN-yay"; stress always falls on the final syllable.
On the palate
How you spot it blind: Pronounced apricot and peach aromas fused with heady florals on an oily, low-acid palate
The story
First written down · 1781, Dauphiné province, France
Reduced to roughly 14 hectares worldwide by the early 1970s, Viognier was revived by Condrieu growers led by Georges Vernay and California's Rhône Rangers, reaching approximately 16,000 hectares globally by the mid-2010s.
Where it lives
Condrieu AOC (France) · Côte-Rôtie (France) · Central Coast California (USA) · Eden Valley / Barossa (Australia) · Western Cape (South Africa) · Mendoza (Argentina) · Casablanca Valley (Chile)