When you hear the grape variety Viognier, wine lovers think first of Northern Rhône in France. But this time they missed it! It's Southern Germany where this great Viognier organic & vegan wine comes from.
I discovered it at one of my favourite wine store in Düssendorf: Anderweinig
Find out, what this wine is all about!
Great organic Viognier from Germany
In Germany a couple of winemakers grow Viognier for trial and partly gain remarkable wines.
So does Wilhelm Zähringer Winery, based in Heitersheim, too. They are located in Baden county in the Markgräflerland area.
This Viognier grows in one of the winery's best grand cru vinyards called Ballrechter Castellberg on limestone.
The winery marked this wine as a Selection Zähringer - short SZ - wine, because the grapes were all hand-picked. The yield of the vines is reduced due to enhence quality. Only the best Viognier grape will find its way into the bottle.
When you try this wine you just cannot believe it's only a QbA - a quality wine of a distincted area, which is the basic level of quality wines in Germany. But this has legal reasons...
For not wanting to over-oak this wine, it's partly fermented in steel tanks and partly fermented in barriques (225 litre French oak barrels) - both with spontanious fermentation. The first turn of the harvest goes right into the steel tank. The second turn, that is harvested a fortnight later, will mature in barriques. So the winemaker can create a perfectly ballanced blend. The signature of this wine is clearly and truly all Viognier at its best!
In comparison to its famous counterpart - the Condrieu from Northern Rhône - this dry German Viognier is less oaky and lower in alcohol, what I find a true gain.
No animal products have been used making this wine, so you can call it vegan friendly. This wine is multiple certified organic. (stated by the winery)
The raw data
2016 Zähringer SZ Viognier Q.b.A. trocken
Acid 3.9 g / l
Sugar 4.0 g / l
Alcohol 12.5 % vol.
Contains sulfite
Demeter organic label, European organic label, EcoVin label
The look
A clear, lemony golden wine. When swirling the wine in the glass, some slight wine legs will occur.
The Scent
The smell says clearly, "Yes, I'm Viognier - here I am!"
The intense scent of (primary aromas from fermentation) orange blossoms, jasmine, pears, ripe peaches and nectarines with some (secondary aromas from ripening) Bourbon vanilla from the barrique will entertain your nose.
A subtile hint of lacorice might be the first upcoming notes of aging in the bottle (teritary aromas).
The Taste
Again quite intense: white peach, apricots and a very light hint of white pepper perfectly blended with the barrique notes - all very well balanced. Very long finish with a bit of fresh lime on the tip of your tongue in the end - what a surprise! Full tilt taste - wow!
Serving tip
Best to serve at 10° Celsius. Give this wine 5 minutes in the glass. It will lose its shyness and will come out in full effect.
This Viognier is yet great, but it has definately not reached its peak. A promising future of 5 to 8 more years may be granted to this wine.
Goes well with foods like...
Try dishes with
- lemongrass
- truffles
- saffron
- mushrooms
Maybe a Risotto Funghi or Asian vegetarian dishes with intense flavours might be a good choice to match this wine.
The sugar-acid-balance makes this wine a perfect compagnion with food.
If you love Viognier and you'd like to try a German Viognier, try this one!
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