The Yellow Heifer - Biodynamic - Domaine Du Chateau D'eau Viognier

Viognier is one of the most distinctive whites varieties in the world – if you fancy something different this is the wine for you – deep in colour, bone dry but with beautiful aromas of white flower, peaches, apricots and nectarines, an oily texture and very little in the way of acidity. Known as the “red wine drinker’s white” because of its voluptuous texture, we can’t recommend this highly enough.

Lunar-organic wine making - 'It's a way of cultivating grapes that follows the code of practice of organic agriculture and also takes into account the phases of the moon' - how vineyard work that disturbs the vine is avoided as the ascending moon rises, as this draws up the sap. Similarly no ploughing, hoeing or earthing up happens during waning moon for fear of disturbing the soil. Vine treatments (organic or course) must be applied just before the full moon and new moon. All this is combined with 'ancestral savoir-faire' and some homoeopathic sprays to ensure the vines make the best grapes they can. And here's the rub. Scientifically a lot of this appears to be nonsense. Empirically a lot of it is very hard to test. But as with so many wines made like this or using full blown biodynamics, the Moillard wines are very good, individual and distinctive. And science does at least agree that vineyard soil in places like Moillard are hotbeds of biodiversity and microbial life.