The world of wine is big and only gets bigger once you start to investigate. Why? Because there is no exact science to making it, drinking it, loving it or growing it. Every little detail that goes into making a bottle of wine is influenced by thousands of extras. Things like where is the grape grown, what is the soil, what is the weather, was it a particularly hot summer, was there an early frost, how is it harvested, what is the winemaker’s approach to this particular grape variety…that’s only a scratch on the surface. The point here is you can’t try one wine, not enjoy it for whatever reason and swear off all wines of that varietal forever because they are all going to be different.

Case and point, this Viognier from the Eola-Amity Hills region of Willamette Valley in Oregon. Universally, Viognier is known as a rich white wine with beautiful aromatics such as peach, pear and violets with strong minerality. (Sidenote: a perfect white wine to keep in mind for all the lovely Spring food coming into season!) But the Viognier of the Rhone Valley or from New Zealand is going to have a completely different vibe than this bottle from Oregon because of all those thousands of extra influencers I mentioned above. This Oregon Viognier was grown in the Eola-Amity Hills that were formed from ancient lava flows which resulted in weathered basalt soils. Basalt soils = MINERALITY, so they are going to be hugely impactful to the end product in the bottle.

Ok, here’s the deal, if this Chardonnay HATING girl can not just enjoy a glass but LOVE a glass of Chandonnay because it comes from Burgundy vs California, then you too might just discover that it’s not the specific varietal you dislike but a certain region you should avoid. Just a Wine Wednesday reminder to keep on tasting and discover what you love!