Viognier

The blending of Viognier with Shiraz (aka Syrah) is a traditional French winemaking method from the Northern Rhone Valley appellation of Cote Rotie and some other areas. South Australian winemaker Johnny Quarisa takes his cue from that great wine region and blends a dash of Viognier with this Shiraz to enhance its dark fruit flavours and robust tannic style. The softness and rich fruity flavours that a little Viognier brings adds approachable drinkability to this full bodied dry red. It drinks well now and can further age for three to four years, even at this modest price.

Super peachy, full bodied and dry voluptuous Viognier style - it's mouth filling and rich with great balance and a ligth touch of lively acidity to stretch out the wine to a long, peachy finish with flavour hints of apricot paste and skin. The grapes were whole bunch pressed with 60% barrel fermented to accentuate the body and texture to the wine. The remaining 40% was fermented in stainless steel tanks bringing freshness.

This wine displays classic stone fruit characteristics of apricot, white peach with floral details and subtle creaminess on the palate.

Millton Vineyard is a key pioneer of Viognier, producing this one from vines grown on the silt banks of the Waipoa River in the Gisborne region. This is a dry, full bodied and textural wine with ripe apricot skin and peachy flavours. It drinks well now and will continue to age gracefully for the medium term; five to six years and possibly even longer. 

This wine was fermented using only indigenous yeasts, natural to the vineyard, allowing for excellent terroir expression. Lees ageing and regular batonnage for 10 months has increased the complexity and creaminess of the wine and further heightened the palate weight.

The nose shows apricot, honeysuckle and orange zest aromas. The palate offers a long, luscious texture and notes of orange zest, with a touch of honey and toast. A long, rich and luscious palate finishes with a citrussy freshness.

Full bodied French Viognier from the south, which is affordable and beautifully well balanced, thanks to its peachy aromas and zingy dry palate structure. This wine highlights Viognier at its best; dry and rich but also with complex nutty notes, wich is no mean feat at this price. This wine is made with grapes grown in three French wine regions; on the Massif Central, the Mediterranean and the French Alps. This combination provides balance to the fleshy, full bodied appeal of peachy Viognier. This wine was aged for six months on lees in concrete tanks. 

It is also refreshingly varietally labelled.

A lovely addition to Viognier lover's wine glasses in New Zealand.

This is Yalumba's premium Viognier offering from their Rare & Fine Collection and shows all the hallmarks of classic Viognier; peach and citrus flavours bundled in an aromatic mouthful with that silky texture that the variety is so well known for. This wine is recognised as a benchmark for new world Viognier due to its stunning quality. 

Hand harvested and whole bunch pressed into old oak and fermented with indigenous yeast before spending 14 months in barrel on the lees. This is round and unctuous as befitting similarly composed wines from the Rhone Valley with aromas and flavours of quince, jasmine peach and citrus. Will pair well with Asian cuisine. 

This peachy, flavoursome, rich and full bodied dry white is Millton Vineyard's top Viognier, made from grapes grown on the steep slopes of the special, small and beautifully formed Clos de Ste Anne vineyard in Gisborne.

Certified organic and biodynamic. 

The Natural State wines are made by second generation Churton Estate winemakers, Ben and Jack Weaver, sons of the winery's founders, Sam and Mandy. This Field Blend combines Petit Manseng (extremely rare in New Zealand), Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. All grapes were harvested on the same day and co-fermented then bottled, unfined, unfiltered with zero sulphur additions. 

Churton founder and winemaker Sam Weaver cut his teeth on the classic wines of the world while working in fine wine retail in the United Kingdom. His background is in microbiology and he was raised on a farm, so when he and his wife Mandy founded Churton Estate, it combined all of his passions. The couple and their adult sons, have created one of this country's most high quality small wineries, which lives up to the dream of creating 100% estate grown grapes, 100% certified organic production and 100% bottled on site, nearly all of the wines without fining or filtration. All grapes are hand picked and natural yeasts ferment the majority of Churton wines. These incremental qualitative decisions impact at every step of their winemaking provides exceptional quality grapes which in turn express themselves in outstanding wines.

The Natural State wines are the brainchild of second generation family winemakers, Ben and Jack Weaver.

Hans and Therese Herzog winery established their winery in Marlborough in 1994 and have since gone on to produce some of the region's most diverse, high quality, small volume wines, including this blend of 50% Viognier, 30% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne, which were fully fermented to dryness in this spicy, peachy, full bodied white. This wine is modelled on the great whites of the northern Rhone in France and the wine takes its name for that region's famous Mistral wind which blows through the valley. 

Extended skin contact and cold maceration provide the colour intensity and flavour in this wine. The Marsanne and Roussanne were fermented together with wild yeasts in 500 litre puncheons then blended with the Viognier and aged in 500 litre French oak puncheons for 18 months. 

The finished wine was bottled without fining or filtration, so is vegan friendly.

A beautiful peachy expression of the viognier grape grown on the sand and granite steep terraced slopes of the northern Rhone.

Fermentation is at low temperatures, a third in new barrels and the rest in stainless steel tanks. The wine undergoes 100% Malolactic fermentation and is aged in 100% new oak.

Brilliant clear golden yellow in the glass with a nose that is Intensely floral and fruity; violets, apricots, peaches and citrus.

The palate is fresh, round and unctuous with lighter acidity and round fleshy fruits.

Complex and enticing with ripe apricot, fig, vanilla, clove and hazelnut aromas on the nose, followed by a concentrated palate offering plush texture backed by beautifully pitched acidity, finishing wonderfully long and expansive.