One of the things I like most about being a wine snoop on the lookout for good buys is the sheer unpredictability of it all. A chance encounter can open up a fat new vein of drinking pleasure - pointing towards some promising producer, some undervalued region, some weird grape. A single sip, sometimes, and I'm away - shuffling through importers' lists, rummaging through wine shop stock like a demented detective. It has been that way this past month or so with Viognier.
It's partly a spring thing. Like investing in new sunglasses and planting lavender, tracking down lip-smacking wines made from this luscious white grape is optimistic preparation for what we hope and pray will be a warm, cheat-proof summer. No harm in dreaming - and in my sun-kissed fantasies there's a bottle of Viognier near at hand, smelling like a stall of ripe apricots in the morning heat haze of a southern French market. As drinkers, we're allowed to take a romantic view. We probably see the V of Viognier standing for voluptuousness, variety and, with any luck, verve - for here is a wine with a distinctive personality: laden with exotic aromas and flavours, quite full-bodied and sensuously smooth. It may remind you of walking into a summer garden and stopping underneath honeysuckle - that's if the holiday apricot and peach memories don't come flooding in. The craving for ABC wines (Anything But Chardonnay) has given Viognier an extra fillip. And there's no doubt that, since the early 1990s, it's had a fashionable edge. The word has leaked out that this grape, and this grape only, is responsible for the stunning white wines in two famous appellations of the northern Rhone - Condrieu and Chateau Grillet.
Cosmopolitan winemakers who can't resist a challenge have, accordingly, ordered in cuttings anywhere from California to Australia. Especially in Languedoc-Roussillon in the south of France, Viognier for everyday quaffing is on the rise. But the world over, quantities are still small enough to give Viognier a rarity or novelty value that adds to its allure.
Producers take a less romantic view. The way they see it, the V of Viognier stands for hellishly variable and villainous, because the grape that is capable of delivering such heady pleasure in the glass is one long headache to grow. It's prone to powdery mildew and unpredictable in its growth pattern, ripening so unevenly that there may be green grapes right next to overripe ones on the same bunch. Also tricky from an economic point of view, it's at its best when the vines are at least 15 years old, and only tastes sublime when yields are kept extremely low. As if those viticultural problems weren't enough to contend with, Viognier can also be temperamental in the cellar, dodging the wine maker's best efforts to keep it from tasting too flabby on the one hand and too dilute on the other. As they say in South Australia (where there are some gems - see below), it's a bit of a bitch. We should probably be surprised and grateful that it has survived at all in its European homeland - apparently brought to the Rhone from Dalmatia in 281 AD at the instigation of the Emperor Probus, after his predecessor Vespasian had devastated the vineyards of Condrieu. With its assertive character, Viognier can combine successfully with other grapes, imparting its fragrant, fruity flavours even when it is only a minor component in a blend. In the latest vintage of his basic white Cotes du Rhone, for example, Marcel Guigal has upped the proportion of Viognier to 20 per cent - making it wonderfully appealing. It also marries well with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc (see Bottle of the Week). And let's not forget that Viognier plays a vital supporting role in red wine production too, accounting for up to 20 per cent of the Syrah-dominated total that gives us soft, rich, gorgeous CoteRotie.
Supposing you're lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle - when or how should you drink it? Soon, for a start, because Viognier is best drunk young; even the loftiest examples lose their freshness within a couple of years of the vintage. And not too cold, because over-chilling will deaden the vibrant, perfumed fruit that makes Viognier special. Depending on the style, it can be a striking partner for savoury foods with a touch of sweetness in their make-up. Lobster, crab and scallops can taste utterly sensational with a glass of top-notch Viognier. Humbler versions achieve star status in the company of mild curries. Vegetarians will discover new excitement in caramelised carrots and roast parsnips, with a drop of this sunny charmer in hand. Or you might just decide to enjoy it on its own some bright day soon, dreaming of deckchair days ahead. V for versatile, too, perhaps?
Viogniers with verve
Viognier Chais Cuxac, Vin de Pays d'Oc, Val d'Orbieu, 1997 (Superquinn, £5.99). More lemons than apricots here . . . but what this one perhaps lacks in true Viognier character it makes up for with refreshing, citrussy acidity. A pleasant summer drink or mild curry mate, at a price you can't argue with.
Domaine Mandeville Viognier, Vin de Pays d'Oc, 1998 (Marks & Spencer, £6.99). I'd swear this Marks & Sparks staple was peachier and prettier a couple of vintages ago. Now it seems a little more anonymous, maybe just a touch more confected . . . but given its lovely smooth texture and honest price, it's certainly not without charm.
Domaine St Paul Viognier, Vin de Pays d'Oc, 1997 (Grapes of Mirth, Rathmines, £7.95). The lateFebruary Bottle of the Week that launched me on the Viognier trail. A whole Languedoc orchard full of luscious, ripe fruit with lemony acidity and buttery overtones . . . this one has it all. From an estate owned by the respected Burgundy house of Moillard-Grivot - and that shows in quality winemaking.
La Bergerie de l'Hortus Classique, Vin de Pays du Val de Montferrand, Domaine de l'Hortus, 1997 (Wines Direct, 1800 579 579, £7.85 if you buy a case of wine - which may be mixed). Viognier blended with a generous proportion of Chardonnay for body and a smidgin of Sauvignon for liveliness produces the perfect all-rounder. It'll make you think of summer fruits, meadow flowers, newmown hay. See Bottle of the Week.
Yalumba Limited Release Viognier, Barossa Growers, 1997 (soon available in selected off-licences, about £9.99). I rarely write about wines which haven't yet arrived, but here's an exception - an Australian Viognier so outstanding that, when I introduced it at a recent club tasting, it had people moaning with pleasure. "The smell of warm holidays," somebody exclaimed, inhaling aromas of apricots, lemons, honey, honeysuckle . . . But tongue-pricking acidity counters all that rich fruit and the mulish kick of 14.5 degrees of alcohol. Here in four to six weeks. Worth waiting for.
Heggies Vineyard Eden Valley Viognier, 1997 (Vintry Rathgar, McCabe's Merrion, Bennett's Howth, Foley's Cabinteely, Pielow's Enniskerry and some other outlets, usually £13.99). Also from the Yalumba stable, and also a heavy hitter at 14 degrees alcohol, this is a luxurious and seductive wine - big in style, unctuously creamy and undeniably classy. Coming from the Eden Valley, significantly cooler than the Barossa, it might be expected to taste less ripe and fat than the wine above. Confusingly, it doesn't - but the quality is superb.
Busillis, IGT Toscana, Tenementi Angelini, 1996 (Searsons, £15.95). Now here's a rarity - Viognier from Italy. This is a serious food wine, not a garden quaffer, and I liked it better on second acquaintance, a week or two ago, than when first encountered early in the year. There's a substantial amount of oak involved - perhaps a shade too much - but it's well integrated in a stylish wine with a long, assertive finish.
Condrieu, E. Guigal, 1996 (Morton's Ranelagh, Gourmet Rathgar, Deveney's outlets, McCabe's Merrion, Jus de Vine Portmarnock, Fine Wines Limerick, Country Choice Nenagh, Vineyard Galway and some other outlets, about £30). Ah, the absolute peach! I'd almost walk barefoot from here to the precious vineyards by the Rhone if a full bottle of this were guaranteed as a pilgrim's reward. The nose is intriguing, but it's on the palate that power and elegance emerge in perfect harmony. Terrific intensity of fruit, super texture, lingering complexity . . . It's a lot to pay for a bottle of white wine, but I doubt if you'd regret it.