Maryland Viognier

On Saturday, March 8, 2025, we did a vertical Maryland viognier tasting with food  pairings. As the state grape of Virginia, this is a varietal that a large majority of wineries in Virginia and Maryland grow and produce so we have consumed quite a bit over the years. For this tasting, we had viogniers from from Maryland only including Janemark's, Big Cork's, Libertas Estate’s and Hidden Hills’. Viognier is high in fruit and alcohol and low in acidity which makes creamy and spicy food great matches. The east coast varietals tend to have notes of orange, apricot, lime and minerals while the west coast have more tropical mango and pineapple, along with rose and vanilla. It is a great varietal for oaking and is an all around great wine. For this tasting, we had a menu of chicken pot pie cups, buttery lobster tails, shrimp, peppers & rice curry, diced jalapenos, goats cheese, fig jam and cashew phyllo cups, gruyere, guacamole, dried mango, cucumbers, tzaztiki and crackers. We did a bottle review podcast on Janemark's viognier so check it out! It had floral rose aromas along with peach, nectarine and ginger. On the palate we got apricot, honey, melon, nutmeg and medium acidity. It had legs from the alcohol and was also oily and creamy. It paired best with the buttered biscuits, dried mango, curry, cucumbers &tzatziki and gruyere. Big Cork's notes from the winemaker indicated  that it was the 2024 vintage, had aromas of honeysuckle and creamy flavors of peach and apricot. He actually suggested pairing it with curry! We noted a very pale yellow color and notes of honey, peach, melon and pineapple. We liked the food pairings of the goat cheese cups, lobster and mozzarella & guacamole crackers. The Libertas was very crisp with melon, apple and lemon on the palate. It went best with the curry and gruyere. Lastly was Hidden Hills. This had a very yellow color to it with aromas of lemon, floral rose, almond and melon. On the palate we also tasted tangerine and  pineapple. This was probably the most food friendly, pairing well with the lobster, curry, goat cheese cups, cashews and guacamole. Viognier in general we believe to be very food friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed this tasting and can't say enough about how great Maryland's viogniers have been over the years.