Dan's Harvest Updates

I hate Shiraz Viognier

Wed 3 Mar 2010

A confession.... I hate Shiraz Viognier. I hate it with the vehemence the guy from Sideways hated Merlot. The winemaking recipe seems to go something like this: take perfectly good Shiraz, ideally something that already has great character, depth and is crammed with regional, even vineyard individuality - then completely smother it with a dollop of apricot and cheap perfume. Seriously, it's the winemaking equivalent of putting footballers in drag.

It is well know that as individuals we all have different thresholds and tolerances for various aromas and tastes. Sometimes these tolerances can vary by several thousand times. I'm guessing I'm a super-taster for Viognier. Even the measly 3 to 5% addition that is the norm in these blends completely alters the wine for my palate. The whole thing is completely overwhelmed by the sickly-sweet aromas of Viognier and any character the Shiraz may have had is hidden. Until a few decades ago, these wines were little-known quirks from the near-vertical terraces of the Northern Rhone. A fine example of when quirky regionality should stay exactly that. Sadly these blends are now everywhere - the perils of globalization...

Another confession... I have a nagging feeling that my dislike of the blend comes from my own failure to make a really good one. We gave it a go under the St Leonards label a few years ago and the result was the worst wine review I have ever had. Given that wine writers generally adhere to their mothers' advice of not saying anything if they can't say something nice, a bad review is a rare thing indeed. This, from James Halliday no less; "Unconvincing colour, a wine at war with itself and needing time to soften and settle down." Ouch! I'm not bitter, just don't expect me to be making another one any time soon!

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