Sunshine In A Bottle
It ’s a hot, slightly humid day in the Texas Hill Country as the sun beams down on my back porch. My daughters are playing in the yard, a neighbor down the street is mowing their lawn and I listen to the sounds of late spring — a mixture of giggles, buzzing lawn equipment, birds chirping, airplanes f lying overhead and a gentle wind rustling the tree branches. I’ve found a little moment of mindful meditation while I take it all in and sip from a glass of Texas-grown, Texas-made Viognier (pronounced “vee-own-yay”). With its enchanting aroma of freshly-picked wildflowers; buttery mouthfeel; juicy notes of peach, tangerine and mango and crisp finish, it feels like the perfect drink choice for the transition to summer. It’s dry and refreshing but has enough fullness to keep things interesting. I stretch out my bare feet, feeling the grated texture of my weather-worn deck, and look down to notice the sunlight dancing through my wine glass, illuminating the nearly transparent, yellow-tinged color of the wine as if it were full of sunshine itself.
I’m not the only Texan captivated by Viognier. The dry white wine varietal, which has somewhat mysterious origins but is often thought to be an ancient grape dating back to Roman times, originally rose to popularity via the Château-Grillet AOC, a small appellation of the Northern Rhône valley of France.
Viognier’s long been sought out by connoisseurs, but, according to Texas winemakers, is only recently becoming one of Texas wine drinkers’ most-requested white wines.
Nichole Bendele, a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Certified Level II Sommelier and the director of marketing, public relations and outreach for Becker Vineyards, located between Stonewall and Fredericksburg, shared that co-founder Dr. Richard Becker was the first to grow Viognier in Texas. “He nicknamed it the ‘red wine drinker’s white wine’ because of its fullness on the palate like a red wine. His first experience with Viognier was Château-Grillet’s Viognier from the Northern Rhône region of France,” she says. “He fell in love with the wine! It’s his favorite white wine.” Bendele says that Becker Vineyards planted Viognier in 1993, just one year after the winery was established, and first harvested Viognier in 1996. In her 26 years working at Becker Vineyards, she’s seen their production grow from 2,500 cases to almost 100,000 cases annually.
Although the varietal was not familiar to customers in Texas at the time, and despite its tricky-to-pronounce name, Dr. Becker and his late wife and vineyard co-founder Bunny bet that their customers would grow to love Viognier as much as they did. “The Beckers and staff encouraged guests to try Viognier. If someone is a red wine drinker, it is a white wine they are open to. It is a dry-style wine but because of the fruit notes, some people who enjoy off dry wines enjoy it, too,” she says. “The Viognier is our number one selling white wine and a flagship wine for us.”
For fellow Texas wine lovers and those of you who have been visiting Texas Wine Country through the years as I have, you may have observed Viognier popping up as a staple on tasting menus and wine lists as our state’s wine scene continues to grow and evolve.
There seems to be an ever-increasing number of wineries and vineyards in Texas, with more than 50 in the Texas Hill Country alone — from Austin to Fredericksburg and Lampasas to New Braunfels — according to the nonprofit trade association Texas Hill Country Wineries. A significant portion of these Texas wineries are choosing to grow, make or serve Viognier.
“About 10-15 years ago, there were just a few wineries making Viognier here in the Hill Country or even growing it across the state,” says January Wiese, executive director of Texas Hill Country Wineries. “Now, Viognier is in the top five varieties grown in Texas and we estimate 80 percent of Texas Hill Country Wineries members produce one.” Since wine drinkers may be more familiar with mass-distributed white wine varietals like chardonnay and pinot grigio, wineries have banded together to help spread the word about Viognier and share information with their customers. “With the success of Viognier in Texas, it's been a focus for the industry to share and educate consumers about the varietal and we've noticed it's taken the place of more popular white wines for many guests,” says Wiese.
Beyond its delicious taste and luxurious mouthfeel, what’s helped Viognier stand out across the plethora of wine options available to us in Texas? Especially when it was described to me by several local winemakers as “finicky” and “unpredictable” to grow?
Kyle Johnston, co-owner and head of wine production at Haak Wines in Sante Fe, Texas, located between Houston and Galveston, is excited to be pouring a newly released 2022 vintage of Viognier this summer. “When you have something great, you almost don’t want to talk about it because you don’t want to jinx it,” he says. He shares that Haak’s 2022 Viognier is his favorite in Texas — the grapes for the wine came from Reddy Vineyards in the High Plains and were harvested early to help retain freshness and acidity. “On a good year,” Johnston says, “Texas Viognier can match any Viognier in the country.” He warns, however, that it’s not consistent or reliable. “It still feels like a longshot when you plant vines here in Texas. We’re in the infancy of Texas viticulture.” For this reason, he says Haak Wines tends to plant hybrid grape varieties that are more disease resistant and drought tolerant. But it's been a great year for Viognier, and I can read in his voice that the risk of working with this lowyield, tricky varietal must have paid off. Johnston describes Haak’s 2022 Texas High Plains Viognier as “having a thickness that lasts, and aromatics that are just beautiful.”
“[Viognier is] not at the top of my list for being resilient to our weather extremes,” says Dave Reilly, winemaker at Duchman Family Winery in Driftwood. Like Haak Wines, Duchman chooses to source its Viognier grapes from the Texas High Plains because he appreciates the quality. Duchman sources its Viognier from Bingham Family Vineyards and then makes the wine in Driftwood. Why go through the effort to produce a wine like Viognier when there are varietals that do well at their estate vineyard? Reilly explains, “I think wines should pair with climate and food. Texas is hot and Texas has seafood, our Viognier pairs nicely with both of those.” Duchman’s first vintage of Viognier is from 2007, and Reilly shares that their customers have come to request their Viognier over time. “As with any varietal that isn’t as well-known as chardonnay or cab, it takes time to introduce it to people. After they are introduced, they fall in love with it.”
Reilly touched on another element that makes Viognier popular across the state — it pairs well with food, from seafood to red meat to spicy dishes. It’s a sentiment that sommelier Bendele shares, “It is a food friendly wine. Pork is not an easy meat to pair wines with but Viognier goes beautifully with a peppered pork loin! You can serve it with spicy fare … it is a popular pairing with Asian cuisine. It does have a light acidity that works well with cream-based dishes.”
This dynamic quality that allows Viognier to be paired with so many different foods is also something that makes it appealing to Texas winemakers who like to innovate. With a versatility that lends itself to both fermentation in stainless steel or aging in oak barrels, Texas winemakers are putting their own stamp on Viognier to express the flavors and acidity levels they prefer. You can taste your way through several Texas wineries and find Viognier wines that are vastly distinct from one another, which makes the varietal all the more exciting.
For example, Reilly describes Duchman’s Viognier, which is 100 percent stainless steel fermented and never oak aged, as having “aromas of white flowers, lemon and lime,” and “mandarin oranges and citrus on the palate.” Bendele describes Becker’s Viognier Reserve, which is aged 10 months, 95 percent in French oak barrels (70 percent of which are new), and 5 percent in a stainless steel tank. “When you give a gentle swirl to the Viognier, you notice the nectar-like nose with a zest of lime and hint of Gardenia flower. Taking a sip of it, you continue tasting citrus notes on the palate along with pear and light vanilla.” While they describe the nose in a similar way, they describe the palate differently. The variety makes a fun experience for wine lovers who enjoy comparing notes and exploring subtleties and also for anyone just looking for a bottle to keep on hand to fit any meal or occasion.
From the perspective of this native Texan and wine drinker, Viognier is bold and versatile like Texas. It’s a wine that’s complex yet approachable, as unpredictable as our weather, fragrant like our wildflowers in the spring and vibrant like a bright summer day by the river. It’s easy to drink in the heat and to pair with the foods we love. It’s dynamic enough for Texas entrepreneurs to make it their own. All of this and more is what makes it a great Texas wine.
I invite you to drink local and support Texas businesses this summer! Whether you’re new to wine or an absolute maven, Texas wineries have something for you. Grab a glass of Texas Viognier and you’ll see why so many Texas winemakers and wine drinkers have fallen in love with this varietal.
