Yalumba, Y Series Viognier, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2021

I’m impressed by this wine. I’ve seen it on offer for £7.50 and even at the regular sub ten pound price, it is a belter for the cash from the masters of Viognier Down Under. Hats off to Yalumba for making such a statement with this entry-level Viognier. It’s got all the peach-skin, honeysuckle fragrance required and much more. Silkiness gives it a real sense of harking back to summer days and in the teeth of winter it’s exactly what I want in my glass to sip with a gentle spicy Thai recipe. It’s also fantastic with seasonal roasted veg. From a warm summer vintage with cool nights, this wild ferment wine has a certain apricot vitality. It’s by no means warming in the sense of feeling like you’ve just embraced a radiator, but as the harbinger of heady summer scents, it’ll give your mind a welcome reminder of fruit in sunbeams.