A peach of a grape:—
Autumn has the complexion of a fuzzy peach – burnished autumn leaves reflecting sunlight laced with fresh breezes.
It’s my favourite moment for mellow refreshment.For the perfect peachy balance in your glass of wine, Viognier (Vee-yon-yay) is the ultimate grape, which somehow sums up the generous spirit of harvest time.
France’s Northern Rhône is Viognier’s primary lair, specifically Condrieu. A few decades ago, Viognier was down to under 15 hectares but today this grape with aromas and flavours of apricots and peaches is strutting the global vineyard with catwalk pride.
Its low acidity and fleshy fruitiness creates sensational solo wines – for great value try Asda Extra Special Viognier 2014 (13%) for £5 (on offer). Chile has some decent vino too, such as Cono Sur Bicicleta 2015 (13.5%) in Tesco for £7 – imagine diving into a soft play area filled with apricots and mangos.
I’ve recently been wowed by South African examples, such as Creation Viognier 2015 (14.5%), with abundant fruitiness, available from buygreatwine.co.uk for £14.70 – beautiful with Thai cooking. But Viognier can also weave its way through a blend of grapes – both red and white – to enhance fragrance. The traditional red blend is to co-ferment a small amount of Viognier with Syrah to amplify the aromatics, a technique that has spread worldwide.
Among the most consistently delicious and creative red blends is The Chocolate Block from South Africa’s Boekenhoutskloof, the 2014 features a squirt of Viognier and is on sale for £19.99 at corksout.com. And if you’re in a restaurant, top French names from France to hunt include Cuilleron, Gangloff, Rostaing, Vernay and Villard. I love Viognier to celebrate the mellow fruitfulness of autumn.
See Olly at the London Greek Wine Festival, Oct 8-9. Tickets at londongreekwinefestival.com
OLLY’S PICK OF THE BUNCH
DYNAMIC DUO: Duo des Mers Sauvignon Viogner 2015 (12.5%) £5.25 The Wine Society. This is a zippy scented steal for a delicious duet between Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.
OUT OF AFRICA: Swartland Limited Release Viognier 2015 (13%) £8.99 Majestic. Exotic mellow peach kernel with a kick of ginger spice in this plush South African gem.
KIWI CORKER: Saint Clair Viognier 2015 (12.5%) £13.13 strictlywine.co.uk A three-way pleasure battle between a pineapple, a peach and a toasted pinenut. Place your bets!
FRENCH FANCY: Domaine Merlin François Condrieu les Terroirs 2013 (13.5%) yapp.co.uk £34. Classy scrumptious white with honey fragrance, peachy refreshment and subtle gingery spice. An irresistible treat.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Oldenburg Cabernet Franc 2013 (13.5%) £21.95 bbr.com. This expressive fragrant red is drinking beautifully right now and makes for a scrumptious treat with velvet richness, classy complexity and lingering deliciousness.
This column was originally published in EVENT Magazine, Mail on Sunday 25th September
