Well-known amongst friends and acquaintances for my love of a shiraz, I’ve been given something new to try for Christmas.
It’s a Shiraz Viognier, produced by the method of co-fermentation of red Shiraz grapes mixed with white Viognier grapes. They are mixed before the wine is made when the addition of white grapes at this stage is thought to preserve the brightness of the red pigments during fermentation, as well as altering the development of some of the flavour compounds.
A typical Shiraz Viognier wine will contain between two and seven percent of the white variety. A low amount? Winemakers claim it’s enough to change the chemical pathways of the development of the flavouring and colouring compounds during fermentation.
So, what’s it like? Dunno yet, I’m saving it for some savouring! I’ll let you know.
Cheers, Ozzie