The Southwest Voice

All > Columnists > Wine
Ask a Wine-Know: Don't run away from something you can't pronounce!
Topics:
Anonymous user Wed Aug 23, 2006 10:13:56 PDT
Viewed 680 times
1 response 0 comments Greetings fellow Bakersfieldians. Fine wine has been a hobby of mine for over 40 years and through this column I am going to try to share what I’ve learned over that time. I intend this column to be a help to all interested readers, whether you are real beginners in the wine world and want to know what to buy tonight and where, or whether you are out to increase your cellars and are planning a trip to one of the wine areas. Hopefully there will be something for everyone who’s interested in the subject here — so let’s get started!
Your first question is probably, “Who is Ann Cierley?” Here’s a short bio: I was born in Bakersfield many years ago, graduated from BHS and UCLA and am a retired teacher and administrator (high school and college). Wine is one of my hobbies and I have taught a number of wine education/appreciation classes over the last 25 years or so. I buy wine for businesses and friends, do restaurant wine lists, train wait staff, belong to various wine organizations, arrange and guide tours to wine venues and read, listen and talk (especially talk) about wine. Mostly California wine.
Here’s the most recent question about wine posed to me a few weeks ago: “What is Viognier, how the heck do you pronounce it and what do you drink it with?”
Ah! First thing, don’t ever run away from something you can’t pronounce. In this case, you’d be missing out on a delightful taste treat. If you see Viognier in a store, buy it without saying a word, unless the price sticker is not on it. If you see it on a wine list, just point to it and show the waiter, saying, “I’ll try this.” He’ll probably be happy he doesn’t have to pronounce it, too! If he’s a sommelier (wine server in upscale restaurants), he’ll say, “Certainly, the VEE OWN YAY, excellent choice, sir!”
Don’t be put off by the language or the pretensions of some people in the wine world. You’ll miss fine experiences if you do! If you decide you like it and you want more of a given varietal, I trust you will find out more about it yourself. So here ‘tis.
Viognier is a varietal (type of grape) from the Rhône area of France. The most famous wine of the region is named Condrieu. It is a white wine and became popular internationally in the 1990s. I believe I first tasted it in the late 70s or so at Joe Phelps Winery in Napa and I developed a great liking for it when I was touring John Alban’s vineyards in the Edna Valley (San Luis Obispo area) in 1991. Calera (eastern hills of the Salinas Valley) made a wonderful Viognier and you can find a number of wineries growing and selling it in the Paso Robles area where Rhône wines, most notably Syrah, have become so popular today. More on this later.
Viognier is a very different wine from Chardonnay, if that’s the white wine you know best. Viognier has been described as tasting of apricots and peaches. I always think of it as having a slightly sweet note, even caramel-like. It should be drunk young. I made the mistake of keeping some bottles of Calera too long (five years) and they were definitely not the joy they had been in the first year or two.  As to when during the meal to serve it, I use it as an aperitif (before dinner or with the hors d’ouvres).  Actually I’ve used it as a dessert wine once or twice, too. It would do well with a green salad including fruit and a light fruity dressing. I’ll write more about pairing wine with food in later columns and I’ll devote a lot of time to talking about Paso wines, since the area is our closest fine wine region.
As to price, Viognier is NOT inexpensive, although it has come down from whence it started. I’ve tasted some good ones for around $20 to $25. Try a Chumeia from Paso or a Sobon from the Gold Country (Amador County).
Meeting your needs is my purpose, so I invite your questions. I’ll try to answer one or several questions in each column and I also will try to make you aware of wine events (tastings, dinners, classes, get-togethers, tours, sales, etc.) that are occurring in the area, as well as news items about wines and wineries that I think you might want to know about.
Cheers!

E-mail Ann at: acierley@etcrier.net
–– Ann Cierley, a retired West High principal, is well-known in local wine circles as a wine educato

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation