Viognier - hard to say, but easy to drink

Repeat after me, vee-yon-yay. One more time, vee-yon-yay. There you go, now you'll sound like a total pro when next ordering a glass of viognier at your local restaurant, gastro pub or greasy spoon. No longer will you look like a womble as you utter "um, I'll have the voig - na" or worse "the viagna please".
Viognier is one of my favourite varieties, but many people still can't get their heads around it. Apart from the pronunciation issues, it also suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. Is it like a spicy aromatic, or is it more like a chardonnay?
Well, I think it's perfectly poised to sit right smack in the middle because good viognier has that spicy character that you'll find in say, pinot gris, combined with the weight and density of well-made chardonnay.
Expect to find apricot, peach, citrus and heady floral characters alongside a rich, oily, lusciously dry texture in a good example. Plus viognier is a winner when it comes to food matching - its floral, aromatic nature just as easily lends itself to those fiery, spicy eastern dishes (gaprao moo kai daao anyone?) as it does to classic roast pork with salty crackling slathered in gravy.
Originating in France's Rhone Valley and kicking off with Te Mata releasing the first Kiwi version back in 1998, viognier (although accounting for less than 1 per cent of the national vineyard) is now firmly established over here, with most of the plantings occurring in Hawke's Bay and Gisborne.
It's not an easy variety to get right but our winemakers are suckers for a challenge.
John Hancock of Trinity Hill Wines has been producing award-winning viognier for a few years now, including a rare, trophy-winning dessert-style example. It seduced him early on: "I love the sensual nature. It's a very sexy wine," he says.
During their early years of experimentation with syrah, Mills Reef Winery looked at viognier as the white varietal which could grow in the same soil - these two varieties are traditional companions in the Rhone.
"Viognier is relatively easy to grow in the Gimblett Gravels region, as the conditions are perfect for the variety. We do find, however, that harvesting time is crucial to the success of this variety, as it's important not to over-ripen the fruit and lose structure," says winemaker Tim Preston.
"What our team love about viognier is the depth and structure you can build into the wine. The mouthfeel is incredible, if handled correctly."
Moana Park, a boutique Hawke's Bay producer whose focus is on natural and low-allergen winemaking, were awarded the title of Top Producer in the World last year for their Reserve Viognier at the Decanter World Wine Awards. This week, they've learned their 2010 Viognier has earned them the Top Producer in New Zealand award,second-placed in the world.
I asked winemaker Dan Barker for a list of pros and cons of growing viognier. "In the vineyard it's a nightmare.
"Poor fruit-set means it's a very light cropping variety, so [you get] very few bottles per acre.
"It only grows on very expensive land and it's always picked late; meaning it's more prone to disease.
"It's not a variety any sane winemaker with a strict accountant would grow."
So why bother? "Because it is bloody delicious."