Viognier

I recently read a book called 'Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine,' by Mark Oldman. It is the clearest wine guide that I have come across. He puts the grapes in context. So, for a wine novice like myself, this book sets up a lot of points of reference which makes understanding wine a whole lot easier. I learned a lot from this book like for example, Chablis, White Burgundy, and most Champagnes are all made from the Chardonnay grape. New World Chardonnays (Australia, US, etc) are heavier than European Chardonnays because the New World uses new oak which gives the wine a stronger flavor. Red Burgundy is made from Pinot Noir grapes. Northern Rhone wines are made from a Syrah blend. Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape. Australians call it Shiraz. Everyone else calls it Syrah, except the French who call it Northern Rhone wine. Southern Rhone is a blend with predominantly Grenache, and some Syrah. Left bank Bordeaux is a Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Right bank Bordeaux is a Merlot blend. I'm sure for someone who knows a lot about wine this is basic and an oversimplification. But for a novice like myself, this book really gives me a handle on the world of wine. In the book Oldman gives a list of the most commonly used grapes from light to heavy. In my quest to better appreciate white wine (I'm a red wine drinker, with a strong preference for Cab.) I noticed the Viognier grape listed just before the New World Chardonnay. From his description of the flavor, my curiousity was peaked. I found a bottle of Viognier at our local Ben's liquor store. It was a little pricey at $17, a California Bridlewood. In my cook book of wine pairing, I found a recipe for Paprika chicken in a creamy mushroom and caraway sauce with an apricot/onion relish, which was recommended with a Viognier. We had it last night. The viognier is a heavy body with a strong spicey, gingery, toasted almond flavor. It's like the flavor of a good dessert wine, except that it isn't at all sweet. There's nothing delicate about this wine. It's a wine you can really bite into. It holds it's own with a flavorful, rich dish like the paprika chicken. And the dish seemed to enhance the nutty flavor of the wine. While I think of white wines as compatible with a hot Summer day, the Viognier is so heavy, spicey and full of flavor, it makes a great Winter white.