Dive into Sensual Viognier with the Chardonnay Lovers
This issue was published on July 26, 2023.
Happy Wine Wednesday!
Today we’re drinking some viognier before talking to Christina Lopez, the assistant winemaker at Acquiesce Winery (which produces mainly white wines!).
Plus, I’ll share some more details about our upcoming virtual event with winemaker Kira Ballotta at the end of this issue.
So pour yourself a glass and let’s get our wine nerd on!
Viognier
Creamy, Fussy, and Sensual
This one’s for all my Chardonnay lovers!
In a country full of house whites that are exclusively chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or pinot grigio, viognier is a refreshing and much-needed option that is starting to gain popularity here.
So what is viognier (vee-oh-NYAY)?
Originally from the northern area of Rhône Valley in France, this white grape actually almost went extinct in the 1960’s. Thankfully, it became fashionable in California and in Languedoc-Roussillon (near Provence in France), which brought it back to life before becoming even more popular in the U.S. in the mid-90’s. By 1998, more than a thousand acres of viognier was planted in California, although it never really gained traction and declined in popularity since then. Outside of France and the United States, viognier is most well known in Australia where you can find great examples in the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Eden, and Goulburn Valleys, and in Italy, where you’ll find it in Tuscany, Sicily, and Umbria.
Let’s first go to northern Rhône, where viognier originated and syrah dominates.
In fact, viognier is thought to be related to syrah somehow - perhaps a half sibling or grandparent, and is often blended with Syrah to add some complexity and stabilize the wine’s color. Only a small amount of white wine is made here, with all of the viogniers coming from just two small and expensive appellations: Condrieu and Château-Grillet. For context, other well known appellations you may have heard of in northern Rhône include Hermitage, St. Joseph, and Côte-Rôtie (which only produces reds).
Even though viognier initially came from northern Rhone, there’s actually very little of it planted there. In fact, California grows almost 10x the amount of viognier!
In the U.S., you’ll find viognier not only in California but also in Texas, Washington, and Virginia, where it’s the second leading white grape. In California, you’ll usually find viogniers in Paso Robles and Sonoma.
As I mentioned above, the varietal exploded in popularity but never quite gained traction, leading to a smaller number of producers making the white wine in California. One of the reasons for this could be that the wine is often heavily oaked in the state, and the lack of acidity combined with the heavy oak made it taste like a bad version of California’s star: oaked chardonnay. It’s also a very sensitive grape that can be difficult to grow and is susceptible to diseases. That combined with the low acidity and need for specific winemaking techniques can often result in a not-very-good viognier that tastes like bad perfume and is not worth all of the fuss.
So what should viognier taste like?
Similar to gewürtztraminer, it’s extremely aromatic with fruity and floral aromas, which could lead some drinkers to assume it’s sweet even though it is very much dry. Full bodied, like chardonnay, your viognier might have notes of honeysuckle, apricot, mango, and/or peach. You might even get some hints of gingerbread, fresh orange peel, or rose, and it can feel a bit creamy, like homemade whipped cream, due in part to that low acidity. While usually oaked, you may be able to find some viogniers that are unoaked, leaner, and more minerally with higher acidity.
In case you wanted a more, shall I say, descriptive explanation, here’s what The Wine Bible’s Karen MacNeil has to say:
“An exotically aromatic variety that, to its admirers, is one of the most drippingly sensual white grapes in the world.”
Damn.
Pair this “sensual” wine with citrus and almond flavored dishes, stewed fruits, and aromatic herbs like tarragon or Thai basil. A mediterranean chicken dish with almonds, apricots, and saffron rice would be *chef’s kiss*.
Handing it over now to winemaker and our Woman of the Week, Christina, who is going to tell us all about white Rhône varietals…
Christina Lopez
Assistant Winemaker at Acquiesce Winery & Vinehards
This interview has been edited for clarity truncated for the newsletter.
Merobebe
What's your favorite wine-themed movie or book?
Christina Lopez
Definitely Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch or Uncorking the Past by Patrick McGovern. I can’t choose!
Merobebe
If you could have any celebrity as a personal sommelier, who would it be?
Christina Lopez
Are writers celebrities? I think I’d choose a booze expert like Hemingway. I’d be really interested to see his approach to a wine description. It’s a bummer I’d have to go back in time to find out.
Merobebe
If you could have any superpower related to wine, what would it be?
Christina Lopez
Winemaking is 98% cleaning. If I could clean up and sanitize with the snap of a finger, that would free up more time for the fun stuff.
Merobebe
What initially inspired you to work in the wine industry?
Christina Lopez
I grew up in Sonoma County but had no connection to nor realized that I lived in wine country. Like many young adults, I had no idea what I wanted to take on as a career out of high school. I was trying things out and really fell for the science involved in the medical field.
Originally, I went to school to become a radiologic technologist, which is just a fancy way of saying x-ray tech. Once I finished all my prerequisites, it was time to apply to the program which was lottery based. I didn’t get in on my first attempt and I decided to continue taking classes to stay fresh.
I took a wine class because it sounded fun. I was intrigued enough to take a tasting room job in Healdsburg and became interested in what happened behind the scenes. I did my first harvest in 2014 and never looked back!
Winemaking is the perfect culmination of disciplines. Science, history, art, philosophy, culture, etc. all come together in one 750 mL bottle, and we get to share that perspective year to year. No vintage is the same, it is never static, so you’re always adapting. For me, the mental agility required is what makes winegrowing so addicting.
Merobebe
You work not only with a woman-owned winery, but at a winery that focuses on white wines only! What interested you in working at Acquiesce Winery?
Christina Lopez
No lie, it took some convincing! I had the same stereotypical viewpoint on Lodi as many people do – I thought it was just a place for low-end bulk wine. After some digging, I found that Lodi is rich in history and highly underrated. A hotter climate, yes (it’s actually not much different than Napa). But with the right varieties, great wines are made here.
I saw Lodi as an underdog, and the efforts of the community to change that initial perspective. Then, within Lodi, you had Acquiesce who challenges the status quo in every aspect; all white wines in zinfandel country, woman owned, varieties I’ve never heard of before. Just this general rebellious spirit. I really gravitated towards that and embraced the challenge, knowing that I’d regret it forever if I turned down the opportunity. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Acquiesce's vineyards in March
Merobebe
For the red wine lovers out there, what about white wine made you want to focus more on it? What's special about white wine vs red wine? Help me convince the red winos to give white wines a chance!
Christina Lopez
That used to be me, and I think it comes down to the options in the US.
Consumers are presented with 2 main options when it comes to white wine: chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. The California style of chardonnay is polarizing, and sauvignon blanc can be too up front for some. I’d say people are less familiar with other well-known varieties like riesling or viognier, so being limited to 2 options causes them to generalize about white wines and not seek them out.
I jumped on the Rhone train while working and getting my degree up in Walla Walla. This is where I started to hear about and become interested in these dark horse varieties. The stars aligned when I got linked up with Acquiesce and got the opportunity to feed that curiosity. I’ve had a ton of fun getting to know the personalities of these rare, obscure varieties and watching the light bulb go on when people taste the wines. There are thousands of different grape varieties out there to only be confined to only a handful. I’d say keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to explore outside your comfort zone.
Merobebe
Tell us a little bit about the lesser known white varietals you have at Acquiesce, like picpoul and roussanne. Is there a varietal you think would be a good starting point for sauvy b lovers or chardonnay lovers?
Christina Lopez
Oh man, how much time do you all have? I’ll do my best to sum it up.
Focusing on white Rhone varieties, we have the standards that people might be more familiar with such as viognier and roussanne. We also have the more obscure – like clairette blanche and bourboulenc. The reason these are so rare is that in France, they usually get co-fermented (thrown together) then put in blends, so no one knows what to expect from them on their own.
My first year, I was studying up on and trying to get to know all these varieties, but there was no literature to be found! They both have really fun flavor profiles – savory aspects you don’t expect from white wines. Picpoul is our most acidic variety by a long shot. Its literal translation is “lip stinger”. I’ve found it to be polarizing to customers. Some love it, and some pass on it. For all those sour beer lovers out there, this is a wine worth trying. We even made a sparkling version which is delicious.
Grenache blanc is a versatile food wine, veers towards apple and pear on the palate, and is an amazing blending grape. Roussanne is our princess grape – extremely difficult to grow but our most rewarding. It’s full bodied on the palate with marzipan and green tea. It can also go the distance; I recently had a ’99 from Cline and it was exceptional.
When people tell me they typically go for sauv blanc and chardy, I always ask what they like about each of those wines and point them towards one of ours that fits that profile. For California chardy lovers who dig butter and oak, I steer them towards our Roussanne because it’s rich, round, and can form a vanilla character even though we use no oak on our wines. If they like Chablis (note: a French chardonnay with no oak), I’m giving them picpoul.
For those New Zealand style sauv blanc heads, our new Jolie blend has all the tropical fruit they desire, just without the grassy elements. Those that like the Sancerre style, I’ll point them towards bourboulenc or grenache blanc.
Generally, I’d say they need to come to Acquiesce and try them all!
Merobebe
You do sometimes make red wines. How do you pick which varietal(s) will become the sole red wine of the season?
Christina Lopez
I guess the secret’s out about Outlier!
We grow grenache (and a newly planted block of cinsault) for our rose program. 2021 was my first year at Acquiesce and we had a little more grenache than expected. So, we figured, what the hell, let’s make a red!
Since these grapes are farmed for rose production, the result was a lighter-bodied, nuanced summer red very much aligned with the Acquiesce ethos. Outlier is a sub-label that we use as an outlet for the unorthodox (relative to Acquiesce norms.) In 2022, I tweaked the red a little compared to 2021, but each year will be something different. We have something up our sleeve for 2023, so stay tuned.
Merobebe
Have you experienced challenges being a woman of color in the white male-dominated wine industry?
Christina Lopez
James Brown knew it; this is a man’s world. I learned this a long time ago on the playground. Girls had to prove themselves before they were respected by the boys, and this mindset has been ingrained in me ever since.
Starting out as a cellar hand, this meant working twice as hard to get on even playing ground. Even on “equal” footing, there’s pay scale differences. About 6 years ago, I remember being in the break room when one of my coworkers found out that she was paid over a dollar less an hour than a male co-worker with the same amount of experience.
These are the realities of women in a male dominated industry regardless of color. It’s a bumpy road getting them to take you seriously. I’ve been lucky and had some amazing male mentors that backed me up, but that never changed my efforts. My strategy has been to have a goal, stay focused, and be confident in your capabilities.
Get a wine-related movie or book pairing for your weekend.
Today’s pairing is Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages by Patrick E. McGovern
Take a tour around the world and back in time as McGovern follows humanity’s intoxicating search for booze. From the creation and history of alcohol to the role of alcohol in societies across cultures and beyond, the story follows the trail of archaeological, chemical, artistic, and contextual clues throughout history.
You’ll also learn how alcohol has played an integral role in food – like how the modern world’s cereal staples were probably domesticated to ferment lots of alcohol
Read the reviews and get Uncorking the Past from a local bookstore here.
Who’s ready to try a new white wine?
I hope a cold white wine and a sunny day by a pool or the beach is on the calendar this weekend!
Another thing to pencil in: On Thursday evening, August 17th, California winemaker Kira Ballotta will be joining me to talk about the history of ancient wines. She’ll be sharing a discount code to purchase some of her wines beforehand, so keep an eye on our Instagram and in your inbox for more information!
Cheers,
Megumi