Syrah/Shiraz 8th October 2010
Posted on October 8, 2010
Syrah, or Shiraz if you prefer, is one of the great red wine varietals and finds itself widely planted around the world. Once thought to have originated in the city of Shiraz in what is modern day Iran, Syrah, in actuality, is a Northern Rhone Valley original. Calling the grape and the resultant wine either Syrah or Shiraz is a judgement call, generally, although not entirely consistently done, by assessing its character. Syrah predominates in moderately tempered climes like France and New Zealand where the wines exhibit a certain spiciness and a greater tannic presence, and Shiraz predominates in warmer climes such as Australia where a riper fruit presence is brought to the fore and tannins take a backseat. Either way, the wines are rich, deep and dark but can simultaneously be truly fine and elegant, if not exactly delicate. Although blended predominately with Grenache in the Southern Rhone and regularly with Cabernet Sauvignon in Australia, we’ll be tasting wines that are pure Syrah/Shiraz excepting that a little of the traditional Viognier is present in a few, lifting the nose, broadening the palate and even darkening the wine but in the nicest time-honoured way. Selected to show the range of expressions the varietal is capable of, we’ll be visiting Australia, Argentina, and France as well as showing a couple of fine local efforts.
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