Bottle Of The Week

Viognier was going to be the new craze, the hip drink, we heard a few years ago

Viognier was going to be the new craze, the hip drink, we heard a few years ago. It never quite happened - mainly because the examples that came this way were either frighteningly expensive or clumsily heavy.

But Domaine Saint Paul Viognier, Vin de Pays d'Oc, 1997 (Grapes of Mirth, Rathmines, £7.95) proves how delicious this peachy white can be when there's a streak of acidity running through its lusciously ripe fruit. The Burgundian influence, maybe? Lovely as an aperitif, and Niall Dooley says it also goes down well at buffet parties. Time for a change, with spring in the air. Give it a try.