How to pour
a Viognier in
Place the bottle in the refrigerator for about two hours and take it out again in time. Viognier wants 10 to 12 degrees, not a degree less: when ice-cold, the apricot, peach and violet disappear, leaving only the full texture. If the bottle is already cold, let it stand on the counter for fifteen minutes.
Cut around the capsule below the ridge of the neck and wipe the rim clean. Place the spiral in the center of the cork, turn it straight down and gently pull the cork out. Screw caps are also used for this grape, especially on bottles from Languedoc, California and Australia.
Decanting isn’t necessary. Viognier has little acidity and little tannin, so there’s nothing that needs softening, and the wine warms up faster in a decanter than you’d like. A young, closed bottle can sit in the glass for fifteen minutes; it does the same job without the temperature rising.
Pour until the glass is about one-third full. In a generous bowl, that leaves enough air above the wine to swirl it, and that air brings out the floral side. It’s better to top up with a little more often than to fill the glass in one go, so the rest stays at the right temperature in the bottle.
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The story
Viognier belongs in the northern Rhône. Condrieu is the appellation made exclusively from this grape, and Château-Grillet is the much smaller neighbor that does the same on a single estate. It remains a difficult grape: it yields little, and the timing of the harvest is crucial. Picked too early, it tastes of nothing; picked too late, it loses all its acidity and the wine becomes heavy. That limited supply and narrow margin explain why a bottle from Condrieu is rarely cheap. Outside the Rhône, viognier is now also grown in Languedoc, California, and Australia.
The right glass
Viognier calls for a glass with a wider bowl than the narrow white wine glass used for riesling or pinot grigio. The floral aromas need room, and its full texture does not come through in a cramped glass. There is no dedicated viognier or Condrieu glass in the range, nor is there a standalone model; these are the two bowls that come closest. If you want even more room, take a look at the large wine glasses. If the bottle is not finished until the next day, wine stoppers can help.
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The right tools
For a bottle of viognier, besides the glass you mainly need a corkscrew and, if the bottle does not get finished in one go, a wine stopper. The bar tools below only come into play when you turn it into a spritz: a jigger for measuring and a zester for a strip of peel. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 66,85.
Which wine goes with this?
A bottle of viognier rarely stands alone on the table. These are the wines served before, alongside, or after it, from a glass of crémant beforehand to a moscato with dessert. On every drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair well with it, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Besides Condrieu and Château-Grillet, viognier is now also grown in Languedoc, California, and Australia, where it often turns out fuller and somewhat sweeter than in the Rhône. In Côte-Rôtie, the grape plays a very different role: a small, specified proportion of viognier may ferment together with the syrah. This does not make the red wine white, but it does give it a more floral aroma and a softer entry. If you come across a bottle bearing only the name of the region, check the back label: it usually states which grape it contains. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve at 10 to 12 degrees and don’t put the bottle in an ice bucket full of ice, because below ten degrees, precisely the fruit you buy it for disappears. Alongside viognier, anything with a little sweetness or spice of its own works well: roast chicken with apricot, pork with fruit sauce, a mild curry, or a Thai dish with coconut. Soft cheeses also work well; a sharp aged cheese pushes the wine aside.
Good to know
Why viognier is rarely cheap
The grape produces little, and timing the harvest is crucial. Picked too early, the wine is aroma-free; picked too late, the acidity is gone, leaving a heavy, flat wine. That narrow window, combined with small appellations such as Condrieu and Château-Grillet, keeps supply limited and prices high. Bottles from Languedoc, California, and Australia are generally considerably cheaper.
Condrieu and Château-Grillet
Condrieu is the appellation in the northern Rhône where the white wine is made entirely from viognier. Château-Grillet is a much smaller appellation next to it, consisting of a single estate and also made from viognier. The label names the region rather than the grape, so in practice, anyone who reads Condrieu is reading viognier.
A little viognier with syrah in Côte-Rôtie
In Côte-Rôtie, the red appellation of the northern Rhône, a small, regulated proportion of viognier may be fermented together with syrah. This is called co-fermentation, and it does not involve mixing white wine into red afterward. The result remains a red wine, but with a distinctly more floral aroma and a softer entry. Many producers use less than the maximum or none at all.
Where else viognier is grown
Besides the northern Rhône, the grape is grown in the Languedoc, where it often appears on the label as the grape name on its own, as well as in California and Australia. In those warmer regions, the wine becomes riper and fuller, with more ripe stone fruit and less of the tautness that a Condrieu still has.
How much alcohol it contains
Viognier usually contains roughly between 13 and 14.5 percent alcohol. Because the grape loses its acidity quickly and only becomes aromatic late, it is harvested fairly ripe, which is reflected in that percentage. The exact figure is always shown on the label.
Frequently asked questions
What does viognier taste like?
Apricot and peach up front, followed by violet and honeysuckle. The wine feels full and almost oily, with little acidity, making it softer and broader than most other white wines. It is dry, though: the impression of sweetness comes from the ripe fruit, not from sugar.
Is Condrieu the same as viognier?
Condrieu is the appellation, viognier the grape. White wine from Condrieu is made entirely from viognier, so in practice you get the same grape. The same applies to Château-Grillet, the much smaller neighbouring appellation consisting of a single estate.
At what temperature and in what glass should you serve viognier?
Between 10 and 12 degrees, so not too cold, and in a glass with a wider bowl of around 35 cl or more. Below ten degrees, the fruit closes up and only the full texture remains. A narrow white wine glass barely releases the floral aromas.
What do you eat with viognier?
Roast chicken with apricot, pork with a fruit sauce, a mild curry, or a Thai dish with coconut. The wine itself has little acidity, so a dish that is too spicy or too acidic will overpower it. Soft cheeses go well with it.
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