There is nothing wrong with the Loredona – it’s $10, and has pleasant honey and apricot flavors (though not much of a finish). Plus, it isn’t cloying in the way that some cheap, fruity wines are. It’s fine for porch sipping, as well as pairing with a fall-inspired jambalaya.
But what really made me notice the Loredona was that it’s just another in a line of quite well-made, inexpensive viogniers that I’ve tasted this year. They ranged from technical wines (a French term for grocery store wines ) like Smoking Loon to the various Texas viogniers that I have praised (Brennan, McPherson, Becker). Are winemakers discovering viognier is an interesting alternative to chardonnay, especially on the inexpensive side? I hope so, because these were some of the best cheap wines that I’ve had this year.
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