This June, Bruce Jack Wines shines a spotlight on one of the world’s most alluring and distinctive varietals: Viognier. Known for its captivating floral perfume and rich stone fruit character, Viognier is a white wine that invites the drinker on a sensory journey – softly textured, fragrant, and beautifully layered.
The Bruce Jack Reserve Viognier offers aromas of peach blossom and ripe stone fruit, followed by vibrant citrus flavours and a subtle hint of vanilla, thanks to judicious barrel fermentation. Inspired by the first time Bruce tasted Viognier at sunrise, the wine captures the optimism and potential of a new day that is bright, warm, and full of possibility.
Versatile and indulgent, it pairs beautifully with a variety of dishes: from Thai curry, Indian butter chicken, or a Moroccan-inspired tagine, to rich pasta dishes like fettuccine alfredo or carbonara. It’s equally at home alongside a simple cheese board featuring brie, camembert, or goat’s cheese.
While Viognier may be widely enjoyed today, its journey has been far from easy. Just fifty years ago, the varietal was teetering on the brink of extinction, with only a few precious hectares left in its native France. Difficult to grow and vulnerable to diseases like powdery mildew, the vine requires patience and precision. Pick the berries too early and the wine lacks flavour; too late, and it risks overripeness.
Yet despite these challenges, Viognier has found a flourishing home in South Africa’s warm, sun-soaked vineyards, where the climate allows this once-rare grape to thrive and express its fullest aromatic potential.
“Viognier is a celebration of both resilience and elegance,” says Bruce Jack. “It’s a wine that’s honest and evocative. It is a true reflection of the landscape, the seasons, and the passion it takes to get it right.”
Today the Bruce Jack Reserve Viognier stands as a testament to that dedication: a wine that honours the complexity of its origins while embracing the vibrancy of its South African terroir.
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