Georges Vernay is Condrieu, the man who saved the appellation from being lost forever. The vines of Condrieu have to be seen to appreciate fully the difficulties of working vineyards such as these. The soil on the incredibly steep terraces is washed down by heavy rain with monotonous regularity, resulting in the back-breaking labour of hauling it back up the hill by hand. Fearfully hot in summer and bitingly cold in winter, it is no wonder that the young people of the area lost interest in cultivating such difficult terrain.

However, the wines of Condrieu were promoted by the like of the late Fernand Point at his famous restaurant, La Pyramid, in Vienne and Jacques Pic in Valence. They gained a worldwide following and, because of the tiny amount produced, prices inevitably rose. Suddenly, Condrieu became a much more interesting and viable proposition for the one-time vigneron. Fruit and magnolia trees were pulled out of the old vine terraces and once again the land was planted with the sickly Viognier grape. The production has now increased to seven times that of thirty years ago.

The small appellation of Condrieu includes seven villages and it is only here, in this small geographical area, that Viognier really excels. It has been planted by enthusiasts around the world and even in other parts of the Rhone Valley but it never seems to attain the wonderful complexity of fruit and flower flavours that is the mark of a great Condrieu.

Although Georges Vernay undoubtedly produces great Condrieu in the classic style, the wine which impressed us most was his Vin Doux. The wine that Georges Vernay first produced, as made by his father before him, was a sweet version. However, with modern tastes veering to dry wines, demi sec fell from favour over the years.

This is the first vintage of recent years to be produced in a sweet style and only 2000 bottles were made. Vernay's Vin Doux has the gorgeous apricot and peach aromas and flavours of great Condrieu with a subtle sweetness and lovely balance of acidity. A very original and delicious dessert wine.