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Wine Details
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Description:
Syrah (aka Shiraz, but not Petite Sirah) is conveniently productive, disease-resistant, late budding and early ripening. It produces dark skinned and flavorful fruit. The vine is easy to grow, but requires a well drained low-fertility soil, even then, it requires a divided canopy to spread out its shoots. It does not put a lot of energy into laterals unless constrained to too small a space, so once the canopy is opened, it stays open. It raisins about 10% before harvest, which concentrates the flavor and skin color. However, it can lose aroma and acidity if left on the vine for too long, it is therefore not recommended for port styles of wine. Wine color is an intense inky purple. Tannins are significant but soft. Therefore the wine ages well but also can be bottled for early consumption.
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Varietal Definition
Shiraz:
Alternate name for the french Syrah clone grape grown in Australia and responsible for very big red wines that are not quite as intense in flavor as the french Rhone versions.
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Syrah:
Syrah is the eight hundred pound gorilla of Rhone grapes! In the vineyard and the winery, Syrah is typically an easy grape to work with - healthy, early ripening, resistant to mildew and rot; suitable for winemaking in a variety of styles. The wines from Syrah are tannic without being harsh. The wines will have a taste and smell of dark blue fruit like blackberries and blackcurrant, with a strong spicy side where one can find freshly ground pepper and other spices. Syrah is famous for its part in the French blends, such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape.
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Petite Sirah:
Petite Sirah is the same as the French variety known as Durif, a cross of Peloursin, with the true Syrah. A French nurseryman, Dr. François Durif, propagated the grape trying for resistance to powdery mildew and named it after himself, in the 1870s. Petite Sirah has long been an important blending grape, prized primarily for its deep color and fairly intense tannin. It is the variety most often chosen to blend into Zinfandel for added color, complexity, body, and to tone down the tendency of Zins toward "jammy" fruit.
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