Comparison
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains vs Viognier
How Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Viognier differ, dimension by dimension.
The short answer
The main differences: Viognier has more body; Viognier has more spice; Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains has more perceived freshness.
Choose
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Choose Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains if you want something fresher, sweeter, fresher and more acidic.
Choose
Viognier
Choose Viognier if you want something fuller and richer, spicier, rounder and creamier in texture.
Where they genuinely differ
Only differences large enough to notice in the glass are listed here. A gap of half a point on a five-point scale is noise, and WineHQ does not dress it up as a finding.
Body
Clear differenceThe overall weight and viscosity of the wine in the mouth — a composite of alcohol, sugar, extract and glycerol.
Viognier is fuller and richer: high against low-medium.
Spice
Clear differencePepper, clove, cinnamon and related spice notes, whether from the grape (as with rotundone in Syrah) or from oak.
Viognier is spicier: medium against low.
Perceived freshness
Clear differenceThe overall impression of liveliness — a composite of acidity, alcohol balance, fruit character and the absence of tiredness. Distinct from raw acidity: a wine can be high in acid yet taste heavy.
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is fresher: medium-plus against low-medium.
Texture
Clear differenceMouthfeel independent of weight — from lean and cutting through to creamy, waxy or velvety. Driven by lees contact, malolactic conversion, skin contact and ageing.
Viognier is rounder and creamier in texture: high against medium.
Sweetness
Clear differencePerceived sugar in the finished wine, driven mainly by residual sugar but modified by acidity, alcohol and fruit ripeness.
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is sweeter: medium against low-medium.
Acidity
Clear differenceTotal perceived acidity. Rises in cooler climates and with earlier picking; falls with heat and ripeness.
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is fresher and more acidic: medium against low-medium.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Tannin: Similar — both low.
- Fruit intensity: Similar — both high.
- Aromatic intensity: Similar — both high.
- Savoury character: Similar — both low-medium.
- Floral character: Similar — both high.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains | Viognier |
|---|---|---|
| Body | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Spice | low (1/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to medium-plus (4/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Texture | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Sweetness | typically medium, ranging from low to high (3/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to low-medium (2/5) |
| Acidity | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium-plus (3/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Alcohol | typically medium, ranging from low to medium-plus (3/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Oak influence | low (1/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Tannin | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Aromatic intensity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Savoury character | low-medium (2/5) | low-medium (2/5) |
| Floral character | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Herbal / green character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Earthy character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Serve at | 9–12°C | 12–15°C |
| Typical flavours | grape, orange blossom, elderflower, peach, rose | apricot, peach, honeysuckle, orange blossom, mango |
Values are typical points within each wine’s range. Both wines vary — see the individual pages for how much.
Read more
Grape
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
The finest member of the Muscat family, and one of very few varieties whose wine actually smells of grapes.
Grape
Viognier
A full-bodied, apricot-and-honeysuckle-scented Rhône variety that nearly disappeared in the 1960s.
Comparison
Viognier vs Chardonnay
Two full-bodied whites — which is the aromatic one?