The blending of wine usually occurs after the wine has been made. However, in the case of shiraz viognier a process called co-fermentation is usually used whereby the grapes are mixed before the wine is made. This produces a much better result in the case of shiraz viognier.

To understand the benefits it’s important to think about the reasons for blending wine in the first place. Blending draws on the strengths of two or more grape varieties and combines them to counteract any weaknesses and produce a more rounded result. Improvements as a result of blending can come from taste, colour or smell.

In the case of shiraz viognier, it’s the aromatic enhancement of the finished wine that is most notable. Viognier has floral, apricot and musky aromas which come through in the best shiraz viogniers and give the wine a lovely perfume which combines with the best characteristics of the shiraz, the spiciness, tannins and length.

It can also bring a glaze or sheen to the colour and liven up or lift the taste of the shiraz.

There are some good deals on shiraz viognier if you buy online. Browse our pick of shiraz viognier wine sales.

In 2008 the Witchmount Estate winery in Victoria were awarded first place for their shiraz 2004 vintage. In all their were 325 wines from 23 countries. It put Witchmount Estate and winemaker, Tony Ramunno, on the map.

The new 2006 range is out now and the 2006 shiraz promises to be every bit as good as the 2004 vintage. From the winemaker’s tasting notes, the season was excellent with an extended ripening period. The result was fully ripe fruit with intense, complex flavours. The wine has matured for 14 months in American and French oak. Aromas are pepper, cloves, licorice and rich red berry. The palate is vanillin oak, spicy berry fruit flavours and soft tannins. It’s described as a balanced shiraz with fine tannins and great complexity.

Jack’s Wine have the Witchmount Estate 2006 shiraz for $29.17 a bottle. It will benefit from cellaring up to 10 years.

The main characteristic of merlot is that it’s smooth, silky and soft. The flavours are similar to cabernet sauvignon with plums, berries, redcurrants and cherries being prominent. The taste isn’t as distinctive as cabernet sauvignon. It’s a simpler mid-palate wine. It also has lower natural acidity which gives it the fruity, softer feel.

Merlot is excellent with food especially roast meats, pasta and cheese.

It’s most famous in Bordeaux in France where it originated. Merlot is the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux area.

In Australia, merlot is grown in every region and is the third variety in terms of production volume after shiraz and cabernet sauvignon.

It’s very popular in blends particularly blended with cabernet sauvignon and is exported in large quantities.

When drinking merlot, serve slightly below room temperature. It doesn’t want to be too warm so it might be better to cool in the fridge for 15 minutes or so.

Its origins are in the Rhone Valley in France. Some eight hectares of viognier grapes were first grown in Condrieu in Northern Rhone in 1965. In Australia, Yalumba pioneered the first commercial viognier plantings in the Barossa Valley in 1980. Viognier is noted for being difficult to grow with a low yield but it is gaining in popularity.

Typical flavours are stone fruits, particularly apricots, with mango, melon and pineapple. Floral aromas include orange blossom, acacia and honey.

The colour is typically a deep, golden hue and the flavours are full and intense. Viognier is a dry style wine even though the colour and aromas suggest something sweeter.

Viognier is particularly good with spicy foods such as Thai or Indian. It also goes well with strong or salty cheese, strong flavoured fish dishes and fresh fruit.

Top Pick

Tollana Viognier 2005 – A really good viognier for $14.95, reduced from $19.95.

Originally from the Bordeaux region of France, it’s a relatively new variety which was produced by an accidental crossing of Savignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc in the 17th century.

Cabernet Sauvignon is a hardy and easily cultivated variety that ripens late and benefits from a long growing season. Its ability to grow in a wide variety of climates and soil types have made it popular in all wine growing regions.

Cabernet Sauvignon ages well and can often improve into a truly great wine, possibly contributing to its slightly snobby status.

Cabernet Sauvignon became popular in Australia in the 1960s. The Coonawarra region with its long, cool growing season is perfect with excellent wines also coming from Margaret River and the Barossa. Australian Cabernet Sauvignon is often produced as a fine, single variety wine as our climate allows full ripening of the fruit.

Traditionally, due to the cooler Bordeaux climate it is blended with other wines, particularly Merlot. Uniquely in Australia it is sometimes blended with Shiraz.

The first Riesling vintage in Australia was produced in 1850. Prior to losing its place to Chardonnay, riesling was the white wine of choice although in a sweeter style than is popular today. Also many very ordinary wines were marketed under the name riesling although they rarely contained any riesling at all.

Recently there has been a small resurgence in popularity with quality wines being produced in the top wine growing areas. Styles vary greatly. Crisp, fresh and dry while young, Rieslings can age well into rich, golden honeyed wines. Excellent dessert wines are also produced from botrytis affected grapes.

Definitely my favourite white wine.

Despite this shiraz was mainly used for making fortified wine until the mid 1900s when red table wine gained enormous popularity and even then cabernet sauvignon was the red wine of choice. In the 1970s in South Australia a government scheme was implemented to replace old shiraz vines with with the increasingly fashionable chardonnay. Fortunately some old shiraz vines survived.

Popularity overseas and a growing export market for Australian wines saw a resurgence in plantings of shiraz in the 1980s and 90s.

Best known are the full bodied, high alcohol, soft tannin wines of the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley. Shiraz can be made into a good, ready to drink wine or one of real complexity and character after 10 years in the cellar. Our most famous wine the Penfolds Grange is of course made almost completely with shiraz.

The Chardonnay grape is associated with the wines of Burgundy region of Eastern France. Given its popularity the origins of Chardonnay have been claimed by many regions in the Mediterranean. However modern DNA methods have determined it is a cross between the Pinot grape variety from Burgundy and the obscure Gouias Blanc variety. Gouias Blanc was believed to have been brought to Burgundy form the Balkans by the Romans. It all sounds like bit of an happy accident really.

Chardonnay first came to Australia in 1832 but didn’t gain widespread popularity until the 1950s, notably in the Hunter Valley in NSW.

In France, chardonnay is blended with other varieties to produce the wines that the Burgundy region is renowned for. In Australia, wine is largely produced solely from chardonnay which is a rather neutral grape. Australian chardonnay is characterised by big fruit flavours with richness enhanced by maturation on oak, with a recent trend to lighter wines with more structure.

In the 1990s chardonnay gained enormous popularity such that ordering a glass of white white is synonymous with ordering a chardonanny. Also it became the urban yuppy drink of choice. After a bit of a back lash chardonnay is regaining some of its lost popularity with planting up by 30% in the last few years.

There is such variety in chardonnay styles it is difficult to say if it goes with specific food. Try it with with creamy cheeses like brie. Lighter, less oaky styles suit creamy chicken or pasta dishes or even a mild creamy curry.