Viognier

Viognier is VIVC variety number 13106, under the prime name Viognier, with a white (blanc) berry skin. Its country or region of origin is France. It has no known parents: both parent fields are empty and its full pedigree reads 'NO'. Viognier does have recorded offspring, but WineWiki's lineage data list no children, full siblings or half-siblings among its grape articles.

• VIVC variety number 13106; prime name VIOGNIER; berry skin colour blanc (white)
• Country or region of origin: France
• Parents: unknown (neither a parent 1 nor a parent 2 is recorded)
• Offspring: yes; none among WineWiki grape articles

In one critic's view, the most extraordinary thing about Viognier's story is how very nearly and how very recently it almost shrivelled to extinction. In 1985, when Vines, Grapes & Wines was being written for publication in 1986, records could be found of just 32 ha (80 acres) planted in the entire world. In the mid 1980s almost all the officially planted Viognier in the world was in the Rhône Valley, most of it in the Condrieu appellation, where the terraces are so steep and difficult to maintain that only 23 ha (57 acres) remained of an officially allowed total of 200 ha (500 acres). By 2011 Condrieu plantings had risen to 160 ha (400 acres). Old hands in the village of Condrieu remember a time when Viognier was routinely vinified sweet. Condrieu has been experiencing a revival and an injection of real winemaking ambition: old names such as Vernay have been revived, and relative newcomers such as Cuilleron, Gangloff, Niero and Villard have contributed to an overall raising of standards. DNA analysis has shown a close relationship between Viognier and Syrah, though no parents for Viognier are recorded.

• 1985: records of just 32 ha (80 acres) of Viognier could be found in the entire world
• Mid 1980s: 23 ha (57 acres) remained in Condrieu, of an officially allowed total of 200 ha (500 acres)
• 2011: Condrieu plantings had risen to 160 ha (400 acres)
• Château-Grillet has been taken in hand by the team that runs Bordeaux first growth Château Latour

Condrieu lies on the right bank of the northern Rhône, and the single-property Château-Grillet, just south of Condrieu, is the only other all-Viognier appellation in the world, set in a potentially magnificent amphitheatre of vineyard. Viognier is now planted widely all over southern France and appears in hundreds of blended whites, often with the Rhône varieties Marsanne and Roussanne, and also with Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Maccabeo and Vermentino, also known as Rolle. In Italy it was pioneered by Ascheri in Piemonte and d'Alessandro of Manzano in Tuscany. One critic rates Graf Hardegg of the Weinviertel as the leading Viognier exponent in Austria, while Henri Cruchon leads the field in Switzerland. In South Africa, Charles Back of Fairview was the first grower to clear Viognier through the strict quarantine enforced there. Yalumba has been, in the same critic's words, Australia's Viognier pioneer par excellence. New Zealand has difficulty ripening Viognier to the fullness needed for aromatic expression. Chile is producing a clutch of reasonably convincing Viogniers, and the variety is well established in Mendoza, notably behind the Santa Julia label. In that critic's view, the place which has had perhaps the greatest success with varietal Viognier outside France is California, where Joseph Phelps of Napa persisted with getting cuttings through the Davis virus treatment program in the mid 1980s. Horton in Virginia has carved out a reputation for its Viognier, and in Washington state McCrea is the leading exponent.

• Northern Rhône: Condrieu, on the right bank, and the single-property Château-Grillet just south of it, the two all-Viognier appellations
• Southern France: planted widely, often blended with Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Maccabeo and Vermentino
• California: Alban, Calera, Jade Mountain, Kunde and Qupé, California's Rhône Rangers, have all made Viogniers of note; many Californian examples are 14 or 15% alcohol
• Australia: Yalumba, which now produces Viogniers at all levels of price and quality, some oaked

Viognier has to be left on the vine for a very long time before its characteristic heady aroma fully develops. That aroma has variously been described as reminiscent of apricots, May blossom, honeysuckle, ripe peaches and musk, and it sits in the fruit and flower spectrum rather than the mineral or animal one. The best Viognier, in one critic's description, has a heady scent together with real density and extract and, ideally, a dry finish. The same critic has yet to taste an impressive Viognier that was less than 13% alcohol, though many tasted have seemed top-heavy and too alcoholic. The wines are generally relatively low in acidity. Some cheap Viogniers, especially but not exclusively basic Pays d'Oc wines, have, in the same critic's experience, strangely cosmetic aromas.

• Aromas have variously been described as reminiscent of apricots, May blossom, honeysuckle, ripe peaches and musk
• Usually full-bodied, with real density and extract in the best examples
• Generally relatively low in acidity
• Alcohol: one critic has yet to taste an impressive Viognier under 13%; many Californian examples are 14 or 15%

Viognier has been called the hedonist's white grape variety, even if it is often the vintner's headache, because it has to be left on the vine for a very long time before its characteristic aroma fully develops. There is much discussion about both the residual sugar level and the ageing potential of Viognier, and intense Viognier can certainly take sophisticated oak treatments. Viognier also blends well: d'Alessandro of Manzano in Tuscany, like others, has demonstrated how very well Viognier blends with Chardonnay, especially Chardonnay that is reasonably high in acidity. In red wines, ambitious and experimental winemakers, particularly in Australia and California, have been copying the original recipe for Côte-Rôtie, Syrah with a seasoning of Viognier, and claim that a small proportion, around 5%, helps stabilise the wine's colour and deepen its texture. The technique is by no means common in the Rhône today.

• Harvest: the grapes must be left on the vine for a very long time for the aroma to develop fully
• Oak: intense Viognier can take sophisticated oak treatments
• Blending: in whites, often with Marsanne and Roussanne; it also blends very well with Chardonnay
• Reds: around 5% Viognier with Syrah, as claimed by winemakers copying the Côte-Rôtie recipe

Some top examples of Viognier, in one critic's selection, are Cuilleron Les Chaillets, Guigal La Doriane, Georges Vernay Coteau de Vernon, Villard Terrasses du Pilat, Alban Edna Valley and Yalumba The Virgilius. In Condrieu, attention and investment from quality-conscious merchants such as Guigal and Delas has resulted in some superb bottlings, of which Guigal's La Doriane has a particular following. Château-Grillet has now been taken in hand by the team that runs Bordeaux first growth Château Latour.

• Cuilleron Les Chaillets (top example)
• Guigal La Doriane and Georges Vernay Coteau de Vernon (top examples)
• Villard Terrasses du Pilat and Alban Edna Valley (top examples)
• Yalumba The Virgilius (top example)

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=13106 Reference sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/viognier Last verified 2026-10-04