The variety also covers a range of styles. Guigal all producing sought-after exmaples.įurthermore, many local winemakers supplement their appellation-based ranges with wines, sometimes including varietally-labeled Viogniers made under the broader IGP Collines Rhodaniennes denomination. Nearly all high-profile producers in the northern Rhône produce a Condrieu with, among others, Yves et Mathilde Gangloff, Pierre Gaillard, Francois Villard, Yves Cuilleron and E. Progressively, however, its fortunes have been reversed with greater regional, national and international plantings from the 1970s onwards. However, by the mid-20th Century both Viognier and the Condrieu appellation were almost extinct, with the region (and the world) producing only eight hectares (20 acres) of the variety by 1965. It is also often referred to in relation to the single-estate appellation of Château-Grillet, also within the wider Condrieu area.Īs "Vionnier", the variety is first mentioned in the same breath as the Condrieu region in 1781, in Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fonds' "Histoire Naturelle de la Province de Dauphiné" which also namechecks "Serine" (a form of Syrah still referenced today) in Côte-Rôtie. Viognier is best-known for being the grape of the white wine Condrieu appellation of the northern Rhône (and for which it is the only approved variety).
Indeed, it responds more readily to warmer growing conditions further south, and warmer regions worldwide, although in these instances, careful viticulture and winemaking become vital to ensuring the variety's tendency to produce high sugar levels do not produce "flabby" alcoholic wines, lacking freshness. While it is closely associated with its home region of Condrieu, in France's northern Rhône, it is rare to find the variety much further north of this. Viognier ripens mid-to-late in the season and generally prefers a warmer climate to fully express its aromatic potential. It is susceptible to high alcohol levels and low levels of freshening acidty. On its own, Viognier produces golden-colored, aromatic white wines with pronounced stonefruit aromas (apricots and peaches are often cited) alongside a full-bodied and often textural palate. “We have shown the true worth and potential of wineries in Yamanashi Prefecture,” Shigeki Kida, the company president, said, adding that he hopes the award will lead to increased export of Koshu wines to Europe and Asia.The white grape synonymous with the northern Rhône, Viognier also leads a dual life and is also found blended with Syrah in red wines both at home and abroad. To produce Hikari Barrel Fermented Koshu, Lumiere grew grapes with minimum use of pesticides in its vineyards and brewed and fermented them in barrels to achieve a strong aroma and rich flavor. “The fact that our typical wine was praised overseas means all Koshu wines were acknowledged,” Shirayuri Winery President Takao Uchida said at a July 9 news conference, two days after the awards were announced. L’Orient Katsunuma Koshu was brewed together with grape lees to bring out a citrusy aroma and savory grape flavor. and Suntory Tomi no Oka Winery in Kai, also in Yamanashi Prefecture, are the only Japanese wine producers to have previously won the Platinum medal. Of them, only three wines were from Asia. This year, 179 wines, or 1 percent of all entries, received the honor.
Platinum wines are selected from Gold medal winners that require at least 95 points out of 100. The Decanter World Wine Awards, organized by a British wine magazine, is said to be the world’s most prestigious wine competition. operating in Fuefuki, also in Yamanashi Prefecture, were made solely from locally grown Koshu grapes.īoth white wines were selected for the prize from about 18,000 entries from 56 countries this year. Koshu-based Shirayuri Winery Co.’s L’Orient Katsunuma Koshu 2019 and Lumiere Hikari Barrel Fermented Koshu 2018, produced by Lumiere Co.
KOSHU, Yamanashi Prefecture-This central Japan prefecture is now firmly established on the world map of wine making after two products won the second-best Platinum medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards.
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