Let’s get this straight right off the bat. It’s pronounced vee-yon-yay and it’s currently the hottest little berry in town.

Early adopters have been ordering up big in bistros across the land and wine companies have been falling over themselves in the rush to plant it. For a variety that only a few years ago had barely enough total global plantings to cover Federation Square it certainly has a high profile and punches well above its weight. It’s a rich, low acid variety that should be luscious and mouthfilling and typical descriptors would be things like stone fruits, apricots and white peach. You might even find it lurking in a big red with many winemakers pretty smitten with the lifted aromatics and silky textures that come from co-ferment a bit of viognier with shiraz.