Editing Viognier (section)

==Regional production==
[[File:Sparkling Viognier.jpg|left|thumb|A [[sparkling wine|sparkling]] Viognier from [[Washington wine|Washington State]]]]
Viognier has been planted much more extensively around the world since the early 1990s. Both [[California wine|California]] and [[Australia wine|Australia]] now have significant amounts of land devoted to the Viognier grape. There are also notable planting increases in areas of moderate climate such as [[Virginia wine|Virginia]]'s [[Monticello AVA]] region.

The decline of Viognier in France from its historic peak has much to do with the disastrous predations of the [[phylloxera]] insects from North America in Europe in the mid- and late-19th century, followed by the abandonment of the vineyards due to the chaos of [[World War I]]. By 1965, only about {{convert|30|acre|hectare}} of Viognier vines remained in France, and the variety was nearly [[extinct]]. Even as late as the mid-1980s, Viognier in France was endangered. In parallel to the growth of Viognier in the rest of the world, plantings in France have grown dramatically since then. The grape has been enjoying some success [[South Africa wine|South Africa]], [[New Zealand wine|New Zealand]], [[Greece wine|Greece]]<ref name="gervassiliou">{{cite web | title=Viognier | url=http://www.gerovassiliou.gr/en/wines/viognier | publisher=Domaine Gerovassiliou | access-date=17 October 2011}}</ref> and [[Japan]].<ref name="Clarke pg 281">O. Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 281 Harcourt Books 2001 {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}</ref>

===France===
[[File:Nord Sud Viognier 2008.jpg|thumb|right|upright|A Viognier Vin de Pays d'Oc from Languedoc]]
In France, Viognier is the single permitted grape variety in the Rhône appellations of [[Condrieu AOC|Condrieu]] and [[Château-Grillet AOC|Château Grillet]], which are located on the west bank of the [[Rhône]], about 40&nbsp;km south of [[Lyon]].  In the rest of the [[Rhône wine region]] whites, the grape is often blended with [[Roussanne]], [[Marsanne]], [[Grenache blanc]], and [[Rolle (grape)|Rolle]]. In the Northern Rhône, the grape is sometimes blended with [[Chardonnay]].<ref name="Robinson pg 754"/> In the [[Côte-Rôtie AOC]], red wine blends can include up to 20% of Viognier though most growers add no more than 5%. Since Viognier ripens earlier than [[Syrah]], the grape is normally harvested separately and added to the Syrah during [[fermentation (wine)|fermentation]]. One of the benefits of adding Viognier is that the process of co-[[pigmentation]] stabilizes the coloring of the red wine.<ref name="Clarke pg 280">O. Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 280 Harcourt Books 2001 {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}</ref>

[[Vignerons]] in the rest of France often look to plant Viognier in areas rich in [[granite]] soil that have a heat retaining quality that the grape seems to thrive in.<ref name="Clarke pg 278"/> [[Beaujolais wine]]maker [[Georges Duboeuf]] helped expand the reach of the grape with plantings in the [[Ardèche]] region.<ref name="Clarke pg 276">O. Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 276 Harcourt Books 2001 {{ISBN|0-15-100714-4}}</ref> The majority of French Viogniers are now grown in the [[Languedoc]] and sold as ''[[Vin de Pays]]''.

===North America===
[[File:Washington Viognier blend.jpg|left|thumb|upright|A Viognier-based white "Rhone-style blend" from Washington State]]
Since the late 1980s, plantings of Viognier in the [[United States wine|United States]] and [[Canada wine|Canada]] have increased dramatically. California's [[Central Coast AVA|Central Coast]] is the leading producer with over {{convert|2000|acre|hectare|0}} of the grape planted. Californian Viogniers are noticeably higher in alcohol compared to other wines made from the grape.<ref name="Robinson pg 754"/> The [[Rhone Rangers]] of the mid-1980s helped spark the increased interest in Viognier in California.<ref name="MacNeil pg 240">K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 240 Workman Publishing 2001 {{ISBN|1-56305-434-5}}</ref> It has received international attention growing in [[Virginia]], and in 2011 was named [[Virginia wine|Virginia]]'s signature white grape.

The grape can also be found in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[North Carolina]], [[Texas wine|Texas]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Oregon wine|Oregon]], [[Michigan]], [[Idaho]], [[Colorado]], [[New Mexico]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Maryland]], [[New Jersey]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[Missouri]] and [[Arizona]], [[Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California]]  as well as [[British Columbia]] and the Niagara and [[Lake Erie AVA|Lake Erie]] North Shore regions of [[Ontario]].<ref name="Clarke pg 281"/>

===South America===
Both [[Argentine wine|Argentina]] and [[Chilean wine|Chile]] have significant plantings of the grape with some producers in [[Brazilian wine|Brazil]] and [[Uruguayan wine|Uruguay]] also experimenting with the [[varietal]].<ref name="Robinson pg 754"/>

===Australia===
In Australia, [[Yalumba]] is the country's largest producer of the grape making both a white wine varietal and making extensive use of the grape in its Shiraz blends.<ref name="Robinson pg 754"/> Yalumba grows the grape in the [[loam]] and [[clay]] soil of the [[Eden Valley wine region|Eden Valley]].<ref name="Clarke pg 278"/> Other areas with Viognier plantings include [[Clare Valley wine region|Clare Valley]], [[Rutherglen]], [[Murray River]], [[McLaren Vale]], [[Geelong]], [[Lake Nagambie|Nagambie Lakes]], [[Canberra]], [[Mornington Peninsula (wine)|Mornington Peninsula]], [[Barossa Valley (wine)|Barossa Valley]], [[Adelaide Hills wine region|Adelaide Hills]], [[Geographe Bay|Geographe]], [[South Burnett]], [[Yarra Valley]] (Pimpernel Vineyards) and [[Pyrenees (Victoria)|Pyrenees]]

===New Zealand===
{{further|Rhône Rangers}}
In New Zealand, small amounts of Viognier are grown on [[Waiheke Island]] and [[Wairarapa]].  In the [[Hawke's Bay Region]], the grape is used as a single varietal as well as being blended with [[Syrah]] to produce a traditional Rhône style red wine.

===Israel===
{{further|Israeli wine}}
Many  Israeli wineries, particularly in the north, such as [[Golan Heights Winery|Yarden]], [[Tishbi Winery|Tishbi]] and [[Dalton Winery|Dalton]] have cultivated the grape and produced Viognier wines and blends with it with much success.