By Todd S. Wilder

As new viognier-friendly locations are found, there'll surely be some failed attempts bottled and sold.

So, as you start to see more Californian viognier being grown and produced (and I'll bet my favorite corkscrew that you will), taste before you buy. Just think of all the mediocre merlots made recently because it was the happening grape.

Oh, and caution about the future of California syrah: It's becoming the next red rave, now that over-priced, under-whelming merlots are falling into disfavor. I think syrah has a better chance of succeeding in many of California's diverse climates (and showing a lot of diverse flavors/qualities region to region), but surely there will be some eggs laid with this varietal as well. It's the law of averages: The more wineries that make syrah, the greater number of failures (and successes) we'll find. Oh well (and you knew this was coming), Que syrah, syrah. (Sorry.)


Some prognosticators are predicting that viognier (say: "vee-own-yay") is going to become the next great white grape in the U.S., eclipsing chardonnay's rule (in status and chic popularity, if not in actual sales). So, you could think of buying this wine as a way to stay hip. Will viognier emerge triumphant (if becoming a fad wine is a triumph)? Maybe, but one thing is for certain: A lot of wine makers are going to plant (and already are planting) viognier so they can jump on the bandwagon… I mean… be ready for the demand.

However, this doesn't mean that they all should. Not all grapes grow well in all areas, and the jury is definitely still out as to where in California (let alone the rest of the country) viognier can flourish. To make it worse, viognier is a tricky grape to grow even in its tried-and-tested areas (such as Northern Rhône).