If you haven’t, try one…..I will recommend a few in a moment, but first let me tell you why you might like to seek them out and discover their unique personality.

Viognier excels in the Northern Rhone Valley, around the tiny village of Condrieu….but you will find many affordable wines from the S. Rhone and the Languedoc.

These wines offer aromas of flowers, honeysuckle and white fruit. They have the palate feel of chardonnay but the flavors are quite different, and refreshing. The French offerings rarely have any oak influence, and are perfect accompaniments to picnic fare, summer salads, fish and seafoods. Also look for Viognier from California. Here you can expect more ripeness of flavor, more weight, but the same delightful aromas. Sometimes oaked, sometimes not. Winemakers need to be careful not to change the wine with their use of oak, but a little is quite nice.

There are two I recommend from our domestic portfolio, Shannon Ridge Viognier and Dalliance White, both from Clay Shannon in Lake County. Dalliance is only 60% Viognier, but it typifies the
varietal very well.

From France, if you have the opportunity, try a wine called Condrieu…In the meantime, look for our unbelievably low priced les Acanthes from S France. Well under $10, it is a clean and pure example of this wine.

Needless to say, I drink plenty of these wines, since they are affordable, food friendly and delicious in the Florida heat.

Shayne Hebert, Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwineshayne