Once you understand Viognier, it is one of the most rewarding varieties to make. It ripens differently, the flavours developing only late in the season and then quite quickly.
“Generally, it is a combination of patience, risk management and prayer that finally see the flavours accumulate in the fruit,” says winemaker Louisa Rose, 30 years after Yalumba first planted Viognier in Australia. Patience indeed.
Yalumba’s flagship Viognier, The Virgilius, is loosely named after the Roman poet Virgil (70 -19 BC). Considered one of the greatest Roman poets, Virgil was poet and mentor to the first Emperor of Rome, Augustus. Virgil’s works include the ‘Eclogues’ or ‘Bucolics’, celebrating the charm of rural life, and the ‘Georgics’, an agricultural poem that includes references to grape growing. His magnum opus, ‘The Aeneid’, was published posthumously. A literary masterpiece, this epic poem’s influence continues through to modern times and often rings true with the Yalumba Viognier journey.
“Goddess-born, let us follow our fates, whether they seem to lead, or to withdraw. No matter what shall be, all fortune can be conquered by endurance.”