Viognier
vee-ohn-YAY · Vitis vinifera ‘Viognier’
The first white in this guide. Born on steep banks of the northern Rhône, where Condrieu is made from nothing else — and where it nearly went extinct in the 1960s before the world rediscovered it.
/ What it tastes like /
Apricot, peach, and honeysuckle, with a texture that runs rich and almost oily — this is a white that fills the whole glass. The trick that fools everyone: it smells sweet and usually drinks dry. No oak butter, no pucker — perfume up front, clean finish behind it.
/ Why it works in Texas /
Viognier keeps its perfume in the heat, which most aromatic whites can’t claim, and it’s been proving itself here longer than nearly anything — Dr. Richard Becker planted it outside Stonewall in 1992, when conventional wisdom said Texas couldn’t do fine wine. The catch is the picking window: its acid fades fast in late heat, so growers harvest in a hurry to keep the freshness.
/ What to eat with it /
Gulf shrimp, roast chicken, anything with a peach in it — fitting, since Fredericksburg was peach country before it was wine country. The richness also stands up to spice better than most whites; Thai takeout is squarely in bounds.
/ From our visits /