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Viognier is a white grape that produces highly perfumed wine, which is often sweet and rich and usually high in alcohol. The aroma is said to be of peaches or apricots and the flavour can remind you of stone fruit kernals. Not my sort of thing at all because most of them are just too strong for me and I don't want to feel my tongue blister as I swallow. The labels of the wines we tried stated that strengths were between 12.5 and 13.5% vol, which is hardly strong, but many of the wines just didn't have the balls to carry off that level of heat and so we were left with burning alcohol as both the first and last sensation in the mouth.
We found a couple that weren't stupidly hot, and awarded them with higher marks. If you like to be able to feel the wine making its way down and your aim is inebriation, read between the lines for a wine that you'd enjoy.
Our favourite was Cazal Viel 2005, which is £7.99 from Thresher or £5.33 if you buy it on 3 for 2. Despite being 13.5%, the wine was in balance. It smelt of lemon and tropical fruit, possibly fried in butter - what a delicious idea! It had good balance between its acidity and body. It was fat and rich, tasting of apricot kernels, and these flavours lasted well. The alcohol didn't dominate, and it finished with delicious grapefruity acidity.
Second favourite was (or were!) Les Fontanelles 2004, a more reasonable £4.99 from Majestic. It had a fairly good smell - ripe and fruity, with a hint of toast. It was very tasty and had good weight in the mouth. We were left with an almond or kernal taste, which we felt was typical.
There was then a bit of jump down to Virginie 2005, which is 4.99 from Oddbins. It smelt of lanoline and toast, which wasn't unpleasant. It had good body, but was completely ruined by the alcohol. Although this was stated as 12.5% on the label, it was blisteringly hot. The taste was pithy and fresh, but hard to concentrate on when grimacing at the alcohol burn.
Chasse du Pape Chardonnay/Viognier 2005 is £4.99 from Oddbins, Waitrose and Sainsbury. It smelt of cream soda and general confectionary. It tasted oaky, dilute and spirity.
Our least favourite was Marks & Spencer's Domaine Mandeville 2005, which is £4.29. It smelt of pineapple cubes, was strong and sweet with a cloying finish.
The majority of winemakers go to extraordinary lengths to make their wine taste good. They blend different grapes, wines with different exposure to oak, even wines from different sides of a vineyard, to precisely create a wine that tastes just right. If the wine has a great big wallop of alcohol on top of this, we can’t fully enjoy the taste that has been lovingly created.
Cazal Viel Viognier 2005 - Thresher - £7.99/£5.33
Les Fontanelles Viognier 2004 - Majestic - £4.99
Virginie Viognier 2005 - Oddbins - £4.99