Syrah

From LoveToKnow Wine

Hip, Hip…SYRAH!

Syrah is considered one of the classic red grape varietals alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. And, whereas Cabernet may be known as the King of Grape Profundity, Merlot passively follows as the essence of softness and roundness, and Pinot Noir slinks in as the corruptible sensualist that is flighty, vulnerable, and transparent — Syrah stands apart in its character. It is best described as a roughneck with sophistication around its edges. It’s the tuxedo wearing wiseguy with dusty cowboy boots who wipes his mouth with his sleeve. It’s endearing and charming but sometimes in need of some manners and lessons in etiquette. The thick-skinned Syrah grape makes wines that are dark, potent, rustic, and lively with jammy fruit, earth, spice, minerals, and a peppery spirit. There may be some variation in these wines, depending on their origin, but these core attributes hold true. These wines are primal with lush and intense flavors in the mouth that can still enrapture the faint-of-heart with their touches of elegance.

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Origin of the Species—the Rhône and the ROWW

Syrah is found in both hemispheres of the wine world. Its theoretical origin can be traced to France’s northern Rhône Valley and from there it expatriated to the Rest of the Wine World (ROWW), with the most noteworthy destinations being the United States and Australia. Oddly, in Australia and South Africa this vagabond grape went through a name change and is referred to as Shiraz. Why? Well, there are stories, fables if you will, that claim the grape’s origin was from ancient Persia near the city of Shiraz, or that the Romans brought it to France from Sicily, or a Crusader brought it back from the Holy Land. But alas, those stories hold as much water as a colander in a flood, they all leak. In the late 1990's, two scientists, Carole Meredith from University of California at Davis and Jean-Michel Boursiquot of L'École Nationale Superiore Agronomique de Monpellier, had determined through DNA testing that Syrah’s parents were two obscure French grapes, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanc, making it a native inhabitant of France, rather than an illegal immigrant. So, what we know is that the grape started in France and in the Rhône. From there, it took a firm hold, proliferated and spread to other winemaking regions of the world. And, as far as Shiraz and its Persian origins goes, sometimes a fable is more intriguing than quantitative science.

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The Rhône Valley

Syrah is the dramatic star, the principle player, and the man behind the curtain of all the great red wines from the French Rhône Valley. The Northern Rhône's Syrahs are dramatic and flavorful with blackberry, blueberry, and cassis fruit, violets, exotic spice, earthiness, and white pepper. And while nuance and finesse may not be a common thread with other Syrah-based wines, it can often be found here in an Hermitage or a Côte-Rôtie. Vignerons and Negociants in the Southern Rhône use it in a different way; they blend it with an assortment of other Rhône varietals, such as Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Carignan. Syrah is blended to add structure, balance, boldness, and most importantly, flavor. The standout appellation is Chateauneuf-du-Pape that defines the wines' character in this region with its full body, intensity, wildness, red fruit, and spices. Other appellations include Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and Côtes-du-Rhône Villages, and the basic Côtes-du-Rhône. Wines cross the full spectrum from high quality to low, but in general are rustic and hearty with bright acidity.

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The Rest of the Wine World

What's not to like about a grape varietal that makes concentrated, full-bodied, rich-fruited, complex wines? Not much, and that's why its popularity continues to grow in other winemaking countries of the world. The United States, Australia, and South Africa have made a considerable commitment to this manly varietal. But, like most expatriates, once they leave the home country something happens to them; they change. The soul of these expatriates remains the same, but there are some modest changes to the rambling Rhône grape as it assimilates and claims new territories. This is logical, especially if one believes in the concept of terroir and the influences of climate and soil conditions to a specific spot on the globe. Therefore, by extension, a Syrah produced in the Russian River Valley California will be different than a Shiraz in the Barossa Valley in Australia, and likewise be different from one in the Côte-Rôtie in France. C'est la vie.

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Rhone Rangers & California

There has been a building tide of Syrah coming from California. In the 1980's, a few roguish winemakers started bucking the Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay trend by experimenting with Rhône-style varietals. They planted red Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Carignane in Napa and Sonoma County, as well in the Central Coast region of the state. In 1997, sixteen of these formed the Rhone Ranger organization to educate and promote these varietals and wine style. The California rendition has little pretense. They are fleshy, rich, complex, bright, supple, and can have deep and compelling character. A danger in the Golden State is excessive ripeness that robs the grape of its exuberance, as well as excessive tannins that may encourage imbalance in structure and inhibit lengthy maturing. Because of its ripeness, these wines tends to have higher alcohol content than other wines, upwards to 15%, which can be pretty heady and should include a warning of, "Don't Syrah and Drive." It's a challenge to invoke the adjectives of elegance and finesse with most California Syrahs. If you are looking for that, it might be easier to look for it in the Northern Rhône.

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Australia Shiraz

Australia is full of easily recognizable icons—there's the kangaroo, the koala bear, the duckbilled platypus, the Aborigines, Mad Max, Crocodile Dundee, the boomerang, vegemite...and for wine, there's Shiraz. (Remember, although the name is different, it's still Syrah.) The varietal has been cultivated in Australia since the 1830's. Since then, Shiraz flourished in the country, becoming as ubiquitous as a kangaroo, and the wine has put them on the wine map and made them a competitive force in the world. An Australian Shiraz can easily be recognized as big, full-bodied, berry-rich, and sturdy tannin reds. Sometimes it's difficult to associate these big saturated wines with those distant relatives in France. But Australian Shiraz has its own allure and seductiveness. Still, there are berry and plum fruit, spice, and pepper aromas and flavors to remind one of its origins. It's always easy to find an easy-quaffing Shiraz at a value priced as well as top-end, deep-thinking, concentrated reds that hold their own with the French Hermitage legend. If you're looking for the former, look for a Shiraz with any Australian animal on it. If you're looking for the latter, it's tough to beat a Penfold's Grange but even more difficult to find it, then again, legends always are.

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With Food

We can't finish without mentioning food; it would be like talking about salt and ignoring pepper. What works with this wine? The versatile wine doesn't go with everything, but if you can't figure out what to have with pizza, grilled meats, stews, soups, pastas, vegetarian dishes, cheese, poultry, mushrooms, spicy dishes, or even a cracker, try a Syrah. As a rule, the Rhône wines are the easiest to match with food because of their good acidity. Those big jammy California Syrahs and Australia Shirazes are more problematic and matching needs to be calculated with more care. It goes without saying they can be enjoyed and savored with nothing else besides good company.

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Sip, Sip, Syrah...Top Regional Producers

The following is a list of top Syrah/Shiraz producers or negociants from the different regions. Naturally, it is not all-inclusive or exclusionary, there are many to find and savor.

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