$10 Tuesday: Viognier Mate

This week we have an Australian Viognier from Deen De Bortoli. Interestingly, all of the Viognier we have written up on this blog have been in the $10 range. I wouldn't rate this as the best of the group but I will say that this is certainly a "safe" wine with mass appeal.

There is lots of ripe tropical fruit and butter on the nose. It's citrusy on the palate with pretty good acidity. It goes very flat in the mid-palate and has a short finish but, it's quite an adequate wine when paired with broiled salmon, rice and broccoli in a lemon-butter sauce. Even though I wasn't overly impressed with this wine, I'll admit I was slugging it down with the salmon; I was thirsty.

So to recap: Most people would like this wine; most wine people wouldn't; not bad for ten bucks; then again, for ten bucks there are a lot of good choices in Viognier. So, maybe try this one instead. I could have looked past the ubiquitous butteriness of this wine, if it weren't for the disappearing act on the mid-palate.

$10 Tuesday: California Viognier

A lot of people are asking for good wines under $10 these days and we want to give the people what they want! Hopefully, we will be able to find some good values without sacrificing on quality...

So far, so good with this Cline 2007 California Viognier. When wine is classified as "California" the grapes can be a blend from growing areas all over the state so maybe this isn't going to be a preemo example of terroir but, what do you expect for ten bucks!?

The nose is a burst of blossomy orange blossom, pear, and a hint of grapefruit zest and butter. It has a nice richness of viscosity yet refreshing acidity. It also has a pleasant amount of sweetness while still seeming relatively dry.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed sipping this wine even on a cold December night! Of course, the true test of wine is how it stands up to food and it passed the test there as well. Excellent with cheese and crackers or lighter fare such as poultry or fish. Definitely an enjoyable wine for any time of year.

Cline

Viognier
Region: California
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Price: $10
Aromas: orange blossom, pear, grapefruit zest, butter
Flavors: floral, apple, pear, citrus

Three cheers for saving money!!

Viognier Down Argentina Way

Continuing our two-part series Viognier Light and Gay; tonight we discuss a very affordable Argentine example. Okay, there is no series, and I just ripped the title off from the lyrics of "Down Argentina Way." Actually, such a title would be a bit of a misnomer since good examples of Viognier are typically full-bodied. Our wine tonight, Pie de Palo 2007 (available for ~$10) has a golden color of lighter intensity than our previous Vin de Pays example, but is no less aromatic. Again, there are tropical notes of lychee and pineapple, as well as, orange blossom. This Viognier also seems to have slightly higher acidity and is quite dry yet viscous. The flavors are more akin to orange pith and mineral. In fact, it reminds me a bit of flat tonic water in terms of flavor.

That being said, it is actually not as difficult to pair with food as the Vin de Pays example. Where our Vin de Pays was rather too delicate to have with food, our Argentine example serves as a blank canvas to which bold flavors may be applied. For example, a cheese that I've found to be quite discordant with wine in the past is green Chester Sage Derby: The Pie de Palo went quite nicely with it and performed as palate-cleanser.

I just want to tell you that I have never heard of the film or the song "Down Argentina Way" until 15 minutes ago when I was trying to come up with a title for this post and decided to google the phrase on a lark. In honor of this serendipitous occasion, I'm embedding a clip from the 1940 film featuring a blithe performance by Betty Grable. Enjoy.

Easy Breezy Viognier (Vin de Pays)

Nothing spells uncomplicated and easy-going summer refreshment quite like a Viognier. The 2005 Alain Paret Viognier Pastourou (available for between $10-$15) is honey-colored in the glass and opens with lots of perfectly ripe pineapple on the nose. The honey theme shows up again on the palate along with essence of crab apple, and more pineapple on the finish. As the wine opens up, more pear and orange blossom notes emerge. Overall, a pleasing if perhaps overly-mild wine. The wine is slightly off-dry with light to medium body but, is still quite refreshing on it's own despite a lack of crispness. However, this did make it difficult to pair with food: Simple roasted chicken was even more than it's modest acidity could match. Home-made chicken noodle soup, on the other hand, was benign enough not to overwhelm this delicate flower.