Viognier

Viognier is a French white wine grape that is the only variety allowed for the wine Condrieu, which is produced in the French Rhone Valley. It is unsure where the variety originated, however, the grape is said to be an ancient variety that may have come from Croatia. Legends say that the Romans brought the variety to France, or may have brought the variety on a ship headed for France when it was captured near Condrieu. Researchers are also unsure where the name Viognier came from, but the closest comparison points to the city of Vienne, which was an outpost of the Roman Empire. The grape was widely grown but now it is a seldom planted variety that is grown mostly in northern Rhone. Viognier almost went extinct in 1965 when there were less than 10 acres of the vines planted in France. Today, Rhone has almost 800 acres of the variety available. The grape may be hard to grow because it is susceptible to mildew, can only be harvest when completely ripe, and the vines do not produce a predictable number of grapes. The wine is to be consumed while young because it loses its aromatic flavor as it grows in age. Viognier wines tend to be very flavorful and contain powerful fruit aromas, and pairs well with spicy foods.