Que Sera, Sera

Okay, so the title of this blog is a play on words, but you get the idea.  What is the sixth most planted grape in the world? Syrah. Aren’t familiar with it? How about Shiraz? New wine drinkers are surprised to learn that these are the same grape variety, and also further surprised to learn that Petit Sirah is a completely different grape. Syrah is considered one of the "noble grape" varieties. The following is an abbreviated version of a textbook chapter I wrote for a new wine education program (hopefully to be announced soon in North America).

Syrah has been popular, and highly esteemed in France since the 18th century.  Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, raved about the wines of Hermitage in his diary. In fact, in the early 1800′s, Hermitage was the most expensive wine in the world. The Shiraz name is also not particularly new either, as it has been grown in Australia since the early 1830’s.

There are stories of the origins of Syrah. Stories about the grape originating in Persia, or that the Romans planted the fruit in Vienne (now known as Côte Rôtie).  Some of the more romantic stories include the vine being planted on a hill by a lone monk, on his way to the Lérins Abbey by the sea. The little chapel dedicated to St. Christopher on the hill of Hermitage lends some credence to the story that a hermit, Gaspard de Sterimberg, planted the vine as he returned from the crusades in the 13^th century. But, recent research indicates the grape is a native of the Rhône valley, in France. DNA research has determined that Syrah is an offspring of two ancient varietals: Dureza, and Mondeuse Blanc.

Hermitage

Syrah is the red wine grape that rules the Northern Rhône Valley, in France. Syrah Grapes are the only red grape allowed by AOP rules in the appellations.  In the small appellations of Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, and Cornas, Syrah grows on often steep, dry slopes and terraces to produce densely concentrated wines whose longevity and complexity in maturity rival the finest wines of Bordeaux.

While Syrah is usually associated with the Northern Rhone, it is increasingly important in the southern Rhône Valley where the grape provides structure, color, and aroma to the Grenache-based wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, as well as the vast Côtes du Rhône designation.

Old Vine Shiraz - Barossa Valley

It is likely that more wine drinkers know Syrah by its Australian name, Shiraz. Shiraz is the same grape as Syrah, and was imported by Australian settlers in the 1830’s. The Australian approach to Shiraz is more diverse than it is in France. The grape is used to produce everything from fortified, Port-style wine (“stickies”), to red and pink sparkling wine, and mass-produced "critter" wines.  Now, the name “Shiraz” has been associated with a crisper, fruitier style of wine. It is not uncommon a winery to label one wine a Syrah and the other a Shiraz, dependent on the style.

At Eberle - one of the original Rhone Rangers

Outside of France and Australia, Syrah has met with great success, the most notable area being in the United States, but particularly in California. The first plantings of Syrah in California took place in the Napa Valley in 1878. The big jump in California production took place in the late 1990’s, when the “Rhône Rangers”, in the Central Coast, stimulated interest in the variety. By 2000, more than 90 wineries had joined the movement throughout the United States, but mainly focused on California’s North and Central Coasts.

One of the factors influencing the interest of Syrah plantings around the world is the relative ease with which the grape grows. It is a vigorous vine, and needs trellising and training for the best returns. The yields go hand in hand with quality. Lower yields produce concentrated, long lived wines, but even at high yields, Syrah retains some of its character and can make attractively fruity wines.

A quote often used by grower is, “Syrah likes a view”.  This is very evident in the traditional growing area, where the vineyards are planted towards the top of hills.  Due to erosion, there is less soil at a higher altitude, causing the vines to produce fewer grapes. Lower yields tend to produce more concentrated wines. 

Syrah wines display medium to high tannins (although they are typically ripe and smooth, not abrasive like younger reds can be), moderate acidity, medium to full body, with rich round flavors. Depending on the quality of the fruit, they can range from brawny to soft. The concentrated pigments lead to very deep-colored and concentrated wines that, in youth, typically display opaque, inky-purple or black cores. Wines produced from high-yielding vines, however, may lean toward ruby cores, even in youth. 

Photo courtesy of Wine Folly.

On the nose, the finest northern Rhône Syrah offers a rich mix of black and red fruits, especially raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, plum, and blackcurrant. For such a dark red wine, it is somewhat surprising to find that the fruit aromas are often accompanied by floral notes of violets and carnations.  Additionally, vegetal aromas of tobacco, black pepper, licorice, cloves and rosemary, can be found in quality examples. For many tasters, it is the savory side of Syrah, produced through the interaction of wine and barrel, that provides the most telltale signs for Syrah…bacon, or meat. Warmer climates bring out the mellower flavors of plum, while cooler temperatures spice up the wine.

New world  versions of the grape tend to emphasize the primary fruit aromas of raspberry, blackberry, and plum in a fruity style, which many "sweet" wine drinkers enjoy.  Australian Shiraz often adds a suggestion of chocolate and mint or eucalyptus on the nose. With age, it can take on an appealingly gaminess and leather bouquet, along with an almost chocolate-like character. 

Syrah has the ability to age and evolve for years or multiple decades in the best cases.  Hermitage and Côte Rôtie have the reputation for the slowest maturing of the Rhône wines. Other regions of the Rhône are at their best between three and eight years. The blended wines of the southern Rhône need less time than the north, and most Shiraz-style wines are meant to be drunk within three to five years. The exception to Shiraz is Grange, which can take decades to mature.

Cassoulet

Syrah is one of the most versatile wines to pair with food. With its fresh fruits, spice, rich character coupled with the wide variety of styles, it is the perfect wine for all types of game, duck and chicken. Syrah also makes a great wine and food match with braised dishes and stews. Syrah is for many people the only wine that works with winter dishes like cassoulet, and grilled meats.  Cheese Pairings would include Cheddar, Edam, and Gouda.

So, who produces your favorite Syrah/Shiraz?

Barrel Tasting with a Home Winemaker

There is one thing about living in the mountains....there is always something new to discover. This week, matter of fact this day, offered two new experiences.

Earlier in the week, I received an e-mail from someone I have known for a while, but never really spent any time with. He had invited me to his home to try some of his homemade wine. For the last couple years, I had heard that he was growing grapes at his property. As far as I know, he is the only person in our mountain communities that is truly attempting to grow wine grapes in our area. The challenge is the altitude and short growing season. I didn't know what to expect, but really appreciated the invitation, and looked forward to see what our mountain could produce.

As our tasting date approached, another friend contacted me, wondering if I knew anyone who could identify wild mushrooms. He thought that he might have Morel mushrooms growing in his area. As it turns out, my business partner has been gathering wild mushrooms for years. I put them in touch, and decided to join them in the hunt. We found all types of mushrooms (some edible, and some poisonous). After about 1 1/2 hours, we had collected a large handful of Morels. I had to cut the hunting short, so I could get on to my next adventure of wine tasting some local wines.

I quickly cleaned up, and headed to Dart Canyon, where we pulled in to the Krumwiede's driveway. Their two dogs greeted us and followed us out into the vineyard. They own 3.5 acres of gently sloped mountain land. About half of the property is landscaped, which is no surprise, as Richard is a landscape architect. On one end of the driveway is their house, with vineyards neatly pruned and trellised below. Around the vineyards were numerous apple trees. Richard and Elizabeth explained that prior to grapes, they grew apples, and produced apple cider. Now they have added Zinfandel and Syrah vines. Normally I have seen both of these grapes bush trained, but they chose to trellis their vines, figuring that this would allow more sun exposure. Bud break had occurred a couple weeks earlier, so everything was starting to green up. The entire setting reminded me of being somewhere in the Sierra foothills.

On the far end of their driveway is the "winery". We walked through what looks like a tasting room, then into a back room filled with barrels, and a long tasting table, that Elizabeth had set with an assortment of cheeses, fruits and nuts. On the back wall, there were racks of bottled wines. The south wall had a number of Hungarian oak barrels, each labelled with the vintage, ph, and grape.

Richard grabbed the wine thief, and extracted wine from the first barrel, which contained a Mourvedre. The grapes had been sourced from someone named Raphael, who has vineyards in San Miguel (part of the Paso Robles AVA, in the California Central Coast). The wine was light in pigment, and had a pronounced cherry aroma.

Where the fun began, was with the local Zinfandels. This grape variety has a tendency to be all over the place in style, taste and aroma. It also reflects the terroir. We tried two different vintages of Zinfandel. One was spicy, and the other was jammy. The vines are still young (for Zinfandel) and truly reflect the vintage. We also tried Primitivo, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Sirah sourced from Sculpterra. The Syrah was sourced from Saarloos & Son's Windmill Vineyard in Ballard Canyon (the newest AVA in the California Central Coast). We did not try locally grown Syrah. The vines are only a few years old, and still developing.

After barrel tasting each of the wines, we tried a little blending to see what might be possible. We really didn't do any serious blending, but tried a couple different variations, with differing quantities of barrel samples. Also joining us in the tasting was long-time friend, Tom Bachman. While he doesn't grow his own grapes, he has been making wine since I have known him. He shared a bottle of his Bordeaux-style blend of red wine. There was a pronounced rose perfume on his five-grape blend.

Currently, Sycamore Ranch and Vineyard is not available for sale. It is strictly shared with friends, and a co-op of family winemakers. But, that may change down the road. Richard and Elizabeth indicated that they may seek to have their winery bonded, and create the first Dart Canyon winery. Since there is no AVA in this area, the wines would have to be labelled as "California Wines". They already have a tasting room, and wine. Also watch for some of Elizabeth's artwork.

Our mountain community continues to surprise me...wild mushrooms, and local wine. Based on my tastings, I think there is a future for wines produced at elevation in Southern California, and the Krumweide's are leading the way. I didn't know what to expect from a home wine-making operation, but this felt like a "professional" wine tasting room.

What is happening in your backyard?

Pinotage

A couple weeks ago, I conducted a blind tasting of five red wines. Anyone who has been a follower of this blog, or attended one of my tastings, knows that I like to add a “twist”. This time I through in five red varieties that were similar to some of the more familiar grape varieties, but just different enough that “something didn’t taste quite right”. I included Italian grapes grown in California, French Grapes, Spanish grapes, and one South African grape.

As a wine producing country, South Africa is considered a new world wine country, but is has been producing wines since the mid 1600’s, when it was a way station for the Dutch East India Company. Apartheid pretty much isolated the country and its’ wines, and ever since, it has been trying to carve a new identity for itself.

People either "love" or "hate"  South Africa's famous red wine grape variety:  Pinotage. The jury is still out on whether or not this is quality grape.

Abraham Perold

Pinotage is the direct result of a somewhat unusual cross, developed in 1925 by Abraham Perold.  Pinot Noir and Cinsault (as it's known in France) or "Hermitage" (as the same grape is referred to in South Africa) were successfully crossed at Stellenbosch University. The intention of the cross was most likely to capture and expand upon Pinot Noir's delicate elegance and Cinsault's hardy-nature. The result being a new red wine grape that not only blends the two grapes together, but also their names ("Pinot Noir" and "Hermitage"). This new grape is easy to grow. It is early ripening with moderate yields. Unlike Pinot Noir, the grapes are highly pigmented, with only moderate acidity.

In general, Pinotage tends to take on a rustic profile and often shows earth-driven notes on both the nose and the palate, followed by red berries, plums, banana, smoke and even acetone characteristics. 

New vinification techniques have led to a more acceptable, and even sought after taste. Both the Aussies, and the French have contributed more modern production methods (controlled fermentation temperatures, oxygen control, and a more artisan approach in general.

With a profile like that, people either tend to have a "love it or hate it" relationship with Pinotage. If you fall into the "love it" camp, then this wine can be a fairly flexible pairing partner, going well with the likes of game, steak, brats, burgers and pizza.

The wine we had at the blind tasting was the Spier 2011 Pinotage. Based on the feedback, this wine didn’t have a love hate relationship with the tasters. It did receive overwhelming support. The wine was very deep red in color, which was a prelude to the red berry flavors. The tannins were soft and round. Many mistakenly chose this wine as a fruit forward Syrah.