If you've never quite clicked with Viognier, too oily, too flabby, too much, let Kleine Oranjerie change your mind. This is the grape at its most charming: jasmine and white peach lift out of the glass, fruit blossom drifts in behind, and there's that telltale whisper of white pepper that tells you you're in serious aromatic territory. One sniff and you understand why Viognier obsessives put up with the grape's difficult reputation.
The palate delivers on the promise. Generous and richly flavoured, yes, but pulled into focus by a bright, zingy acidity that stops it from ever turning lazy. The finish is the giveaway: a gingery, textural grip that lingers and lifts, the kind of detail you only get when a winemaker picks early and reads the vineyard properly.
The fruit comes from Paarl, grown on sandy loams where the trick is restraint, pick too late and Viognier collapses into something heavy and forgettable. Kleine Oranjerie works with vines old and new across the Western Cape, leans into wild ferments, and lets each site speak for itself. It shows.
Pour this with a Thai green curry, a fragrant Cape Malay korma, or a wedge of fresh goats' cheese alongside roasted vegetables, anything with spice or aromatic herbs will sing. Delivered across the UK, and a lovely off-piste choice for the friend who thinks they've tried everything.
