Syrah (grape)

Syrah, also known as shiraz, is a red grape grown around the world and used primarily to produce red wine. A 1999 DNA analysis found that Syrah was descended from two dark grapes from southeastern France, Durif and Mondeuse Blanche. Syrah should not be confused with Petite Sirah, which is a synonym for Durif, a cross between syrah and peloursin that dates back to 1880.

The style and flavor profile of wines made from Syrah is influenced by the climate where the grapes were grown. Moderate climates (such as those in the northern Rhône Valley and parts of the Walla Walla AVA of Washington State) tend to produce a wine that is medium-full bodied and with medium-high levels of tannins, as well as blackberry, mint flavors. and black pepper. In warm climates (such as Crete, San Juan in Argentina, and Australia's Barossa Valley) the wines are more consistent, with full body, softer tannins, and notes of jammy fruit, spice, anise, and earth. In many regions, Syrah's acidity and tannic levels give it greater aging capacity.

Syrah is used for single-varietal wines and also for multivarietal wines. After a few years of intensive planting, in 2004 syrah became the seventh most planted grape, with a total of 142,600 ha. It can be found all over the world, especially in Argentina, France, Chile, South Africa, Hawke's;s Bay of New Zealand, Baja California, California, Washington State and several Australian regions such as the Barossa, Coonawarra, Hunter Valley, Margaret River and McLaren Vale.

History

Syrah has a long documented history in the Rhône, France. In 1998, a study led by Carole Meredith of the University of California, Davis, used DNA profiling and reference material from the viticulture station of the École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier to conclude that syrah was descended from grapes hardness (father) and mondeuse blanche (mother).

Duradura is a dark-skinned grape from the French region of Ardèche, although it has disappeared from the vineyards and is preserved in Montpellier. Mondeuse blance is a white grape grown in Savoy, and is found in small quantities in the vineyards of that region. Both varieties are largely unknown today and have never reached the popularity of Syrah. Both ancestors are from the southeast of France, very close to the Rhône. Based on these findings, researchers have concluded that Syrah originated in the northern Rhône.

DNA analysis leaves no room for doubt, and the numerous remaining hypotheses of the origin of the grape over the years lack documentary evidence, ampelographic, botanical or DNA research. Instead, they appear to have relied solely on the similarity of the variety's synonyms. Along these lines, there are those who have proposed the Italian city of Syracuse or the Iranian city of Shiraz as places of origin of the grape.

The relationship information, however, does not reveal how old the variety is, that is, when the pollination of a mondeuse blance by a hardness took place, giving rise to the syrah variety. In the year 77 AD. C., Pliny the Elder wrote in his work Naturalis Historia about the wines of Vienne (Côte-Rôtie), where the allobroges had become famous for a valuable wine from dark-skinned grapes that did not exist 50 years earlier, in the era of Virgil. Pliny called these vines allobrogica, and it has been speculated that they could be the current syrah. However, the description of the wine could match that of other varieties, such as hardness, and Plinio wrote that allobrogica was resistant to cold, which does not completely fit with syrah.

The origin of the name

The legends of the origin of the name syrah refer to the synonym shiraz. Shiraz is a very old city in Iran that produces a well-known wine called shirazi. Legends say that syrah originated in Shiraz and that, later, was taken to the Rhône. Two versions of the myth have been recorded that place the arrival of the grape in the Rhône 1800 years apart. According to other versions, the Phoenicians may have brought syrah to their colony around Marseille (then known as Massilia), where it would have been found around 600 BC. C. by the Greeks. Later, the variety would have spread to the north of the Rhône, which was never colonized by the Phoenicians. There is no documentation to support this theory or to explain how the grape disappeared from Marseille.

The legend that links Syrah with the Iranian city of Shiraz could have a French origin. James Busby wrote in Diary of a Recent Visit to the Principal Vineyards of Spain and France that the 1826 book titled French Oenology "stipulates that, in accordance with the local tradition, the plant [scycras] was originally brought from Shiraz, in Persia, by one of the mountain hermits.

Some have speculated (including Jancis Robinson) that shiraz is a name obtained from scyras, which in turn was obtained from syrah. The name shiraz appears in British sources from the 1830s. Early Australian documents on the grape call it scyras, although from the mid-19th century the names shiraz and Hermitage have been replacing the synonym scyras in that country. The name shiraz could also be obtained from the English pronunciation of a French name. Although there is no evidence that this began to happen in Australia, the truth is that the name shiraz is popular there.

Another legend, also based on the etymology of the name, says the variety was brought to Syracuse, Sicily, by the legions of the Roman emperor Probus sometime after 280 AD. C. This legend also lacks documentary evidence and does not coincide with the ampelographic findings.

Fame of the grape

The wines that made Syrah famous were Hermitage, a hill with a hermitage at the top in the town Tain-l'Hermitage, in the northern Rhône. Gaspard of Stérimberg is supposed to have lived as a hermit there when he returned from the Crusades. Hermitage wines maintained a great reputation for quality for centuries. Although the Hermitage was very famous in the 18th and 19th centuries, and attracted interest from foreign wine lovers (among others, Thomas Jefferson), the variety lost vineyard area and attention abroad in the first half of the century XX.

In the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century, many Hermitage wines were exported blended with Bordeaux wines. In an era when claret wines were less strong than today, and before appellation rules, red wines from warmer regions were used to improve Bordeaux wines. Although Spanish and Algerian wines were also used for this purpose, the best Bordeaux châteaux were improved with Hermitage, especially in the worst vintages.

In 1831 the Scot James Busby, often called the 'father of Australian viticulture', made a trip to Europe to collect cuttings of vines (especially from France and Spain) to later introduce them to Australia. One of the varieties collected was syrah, although Busby used the synonyms scyras and ciras. Cuttings were planted in the Sydney Botanic Gardens and in the Hunter region, and in 1839 it was brought from Sydney to South Australia. By the 1860s, syrah had established itself as an important variety in Australia.

Recent history

Syrah remains the main grape of the northern Rhône and is associated with the classic wine AOC Hermitage, AOC Cornas and AOC Côte-Rôtie, where it is often blended with Grenache. Although the best specimens are aged for years, others can be drunk young and feature blueberry notes and a soft tannic structure. Syrah has been widely used as a mezca grape in red wines in many countries due to its fruity flavors, balancing the weaknesses of other varieties and producing more complete wines.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, Syrah has increased in popularity and plantings of the variety have expanded significantly in old and new locations. In the early 2000s, it became one of the ten most planted varieties in the world.

Syrah wines

Small quantities of syrah are used in the production of several styles of wine, such as rosé wine, fortified port-style wine, and sparkling red wine. Although Australian sparkling shiraz wine is somewhat sweet, some Australian producers They produce dry, full-bodied sparkling shiraz wine that retains the complexity and sometimes earthy characteristic that can be found in non-sparkling wines of that variety.

Due to their concentrated flavors and high tain levels, many premium syrahs improve after aging in the bottle. In exceptional cases, this can last 15 years or more.

It is recommended to serve Syrah wines at 18°C.

Flavors

Wines made from Syrah usually have a lot of flavor and good body. The variety produces wines with a wide range of flavors, depending on the climate, the terroir where the vine grows and viticulture practices.

Aromas can vary from violets, dark fruits, chocolate, espresso and black pepper. There is no aroma that can be considered typical of this wine, although there are usually aromas of blackberry and pepper. The "primary" flavor and aroma notes They are moderated and then complemented by 'tertiary' earthy notes, such as leather and truffle. The "secondary" flavor and aroma notes They are associated with other oenological practices, such as barrel aging and yeast treatment.

C13-norisoprenoid derivatives such as 7,8-dihydro ionone, megastigmane-3,9-diol and 3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionol can be found in syrah leaves.

Syrah or shiraz on labels

The Syrah AOCs of the Northern Rhône, like other French AOCs, have no tradition of labeling varietal wines. Instead, they usually just put the name of the AOC (such as Cote-Rotie, Crozes-Hermitage or Hermitage). Labeling syrah/shiraz varietals is a practice that emerged in the New World, and first of all in Australia.

In addition, in the northern Rhône there are different clones of authentic syrah that are called petite syrah (small syrah) and gros syrah (large syrah) depending on the size of the grapes, with petite syrah being considered a superior version due to its wines with a greater amount of phenolic compounds.

As a general rule, most Australian and South African wines are labeled with the synonym shiraz, and most European wines where varietals are labeled use the word syrah (also for Argentine wines). In other countries, producers or merchants typically choose syrah or shiraz based on differences in the style of the wines. Those labeled as syrah are more similar to the classics from the northern Rhône (they are supposed to be more elegant, tannic, with smoky flavors and a similar fruitiness). Wines labeled as shiraz are more similar to the archetypal wine from Australia or elsewhere in the New World (presumably made from riper grapes and are fruitier, less tannic, spicier than smoky, more drinkable when They are younger, lighter and sweeter). However, this labeling rule does not always apply.

Regions

In Europe there are quite a few hectares in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. In the New World it has been widely cultivated in the United States, Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Australia, among other places.

France

Syrah grows in the Rhône Valley. Different terroirs produce wines of different styles. The Hermitage are more mineralized and tannic and the Côte-Rôtie are more fruity and perfumed.

Syrah is the only red grape used in Northern Rhône wines. Syrah is also a key component of many blends. It can be used to add structure and color to Grenache-based wines from the southern Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

In 1968 there were only 2,700 hectares of Syrah vineyards in France, mainly in the traditional appellations of the northern Rhône. Wines of this variety had not received much attention from abroad for several decades and, therefore, the full capacity of these vineyards was not used. After the "rediscovery" of northern Rhône wines by wine writers in the 1970s, plantings expanded considerably. This trend received an extra boost in the 1980s and 1990s, when wine expert Robert M. Parker, Jr. began giving very high scores, close to the "perfect" of 100 points, to some wines made in the Rhône.

The popularity of Australian shiraz in the export market also played a role in this. In 1998, there were 27,000 hectares of this variety in France and in 1999, 50,700 hectares. In this way, France became the country with the most syrah plantations.

Although previously unused parts of the northern Rhône vineyards have been planted with syrah as part of the variety's expansion, most of the new French syrah plantings have been in the southern Rhône, which It has a much larger vineyard area than the north, and in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Although the southern Rhône produces relatively few syrah wines, the proportion of wines containing syrah in their blend has been increasing. In the Languedoc-Roussillon area, syrah is used to produce the blends made in the southern Rhône with Grenache and also to make Australian-style Syrah wines with Cabernet Sauvignon and single-varietal Syrah.

French Syrah vines often suffer from a type of dieback characterized by reddening of the leaves in late summer, the development of deep cracks in the stem above the graft, and premature death of the vine. The syndrome was first observed in 1990 in the Gard and Hérault departments of southern France, but has spread. It is believed that the cause is the incompatibility of the rhizomes with the stem and not due to some kind of virus.

Spain

It was introduced into Spain by the Marquis of Griñón, who used the winemaker Emile Peynaud for this in 1982. It entered for the first time in what is now the DO Dominio de Valdepusa, in Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha). The wine of this denomination has become one of the best examples of those made with this variety since the XXI century, when Wine Spectator magazine gave 94 points to its wine from the 2001 vintage. It has currently been spread throughout the wine-growing regions of Castilla-La Mancha.

Since 1982 it has been spread little by little. The first single-varietal Syrah wines were produced in Jumilla and Alicante. This variety has acclimated very well to the DOs of the Valencian Community and Murcia because it complements very well in multivarietal wines with Monastrell.

In Aragon (Cariñena, Calatayud, Campo de Borja) Somontano (wine) and Catalonia (Priorato, Montsant, Terra Alta, Tarragona) it has been combined well with Garnacha and Cariñena. Syrah has also established itself in the Balearic Islands.

The growth of this grape crop in Spain in the 2000s has been enormous. In 1990 there were 4 hectares, in 1999 there were 8 hectares and in 2009 there were 19,045 hectares.

Italy

In Italy, syrah grows in Tuscany (for example in the DOC Cortona), Lazio (Pontine Lagoons) and in Apulia (IGT Syrah Tarantino). There is also the Sirah Piedmont DOC. In Sicily, syrah wines are made with nero d'Avola, which are considered one of the best blends. The resulting wines are smooth and have spicy notes. These are in great demand in the international market.

Switzerland

The grape was introduced to Switzerland in 1926 and in 2009 it was already the sixth most common red grape in the country, with 181 ha. Most grow in the canton of Valais, along the highest part of the valley of the Rhône, on Lake Geneva, and produces 'concentrated wines from mature vines'.

United States

In the United States, wine produced from this variety is labeled as syrah. However, when producers choose to make wine in some New World style, such as Penfolds Grange, they choose to label it as shiraz. American wine regulations allow both synonyms to be used. Syrah first entered California in the 1970s, when it was planted by a group of viticulturists who called themselves 'Rhône Rangers'. Although most American plantings of this vine are in California, they are increasingly grown in Washington state. Syrah makes up a significant percentage of the wine produced in several Washington State AVAs such as Naches Heights and Walla Walla.

Californian wines, as is common in viticulture, vary greatly depending on the terroir and climate where the vineyards are located. In regions, such as some parts of the Napa Valley, the wine is often blended with other Rhône varieties. Other appellations that include mountainous areas tend to produce single-varietal wines. Syrah was introduced to Washington state in 1986 through a partnership of Red Willow Vineyard, Woodwinville (owned by Washington Columbia Winery), and wine expert David Lake. The variety expanded rapidly and has been used to produce single-varietal wines, as well as multi-varietal wines with Grenache, Cinsault and Viognier.

Argentina

Syrah plantations in Argentina have increased from less than 1,000 hectares in 1990 to 9,500 hectares in 2002.

In Argentina, syrah is usually blended with the dark-skinned Malbec grape to give an Argentine option to Australian cabernet-shiraz. This has gained a new place in Argentina, where wines with a lighter and fresher style are being produced.

The most suitable areas for this species are Mendoza and San Juan, where its purity is maintained, thanks to its intense sun. 90% of the hectares planted with this variety in the country are concentrated in these areas, which total 12,809, a smaller figure compared to the 200,000 hectares of vineyards planted throughout Argentina.

Chile

In 2005 there were 2,500 hectares of syrah in Chile.

South Africa

Syrah plantations in South Africa have expanded significantly, from 1% of vineyards in 1995 to 9.7% in 2007, leaving a total area of 9,856 ha of syrah. In South Africa, the variety is known primarily as shiraz, but the designation syrah is used for Rhône-style wines. Some consider this variety the "great hope" of South African wines.

Australia

The Syrah grape was introduced to Australia in 1832 by James Busby, an immigrant who brought European vine cuttings. It is almost always called shiraz. It is currently Australia's most popular red grape. In the 1970s white wine became so popular that farmers uprooted Shiraz and Grenache vines (some very old) because they left less profit. The oldest continuously commercially productive vineyard is believed to be Turkey Flat at Tanunda in the Barossa Valley, which was planted in 1847.

Many factors, including the success of brands such as Lindemans (part of Treasury Wine Estates) and Jacob's Creek in the UK, as well as Resmount in the US and UK, are responsible for the great expansion of plantations during the 1980s and 1990s. In California it had a similar trajectory. The biggest factor that encouraged expansion during the 1990s was the tax advantage of planting new vineyards.

In the 2005-2006 seasons, the total number of shiraz plantations in Australia reached 41,115 hectares, of which 39,087 hectares were already old enough to be productive. The yield from these vines was a total of 4,222,430 tons of shiraz grapes for wine production. Shiraz has become the most planted variety in Australia, and this country is the second with the largest area of syrah, after France.

Among the regions of Victoria is Heathcote, an hour and a half north of Melbourne. In the colder climate of Western Australia's Margaret River, a lower alcohol and more French-style shiraz wine is produced.

A well-known example of Australian shiraz is Penfolfs Grange. This wine was created by producer Max Schubert in 1951 and has a reputation for aging well. It is a mixture of grapes from various regions of South Australia, in which the Barossa Valley and aging in new American oak barrels play an important role. Other well-known shiraz wines include Henschke Hill of Grace and Penfolds RWT.

Recently, Australian shiraz wine producers began adding 4% viognier to give it apricot aromas and flavors. The producer is not required to declare such a small percentage on the label. In the last five years, however, it has become fashionable to label wine as Shiraz Viognier because consumers have accepted the practice. The custom of mixing viognier with syrah has also become common in Cote Rotie, north of the Rhône.

Shiraz is also the S in the GSM blend (grenache-shiraz-mourvèdre/garnacha-syrah-monastrell), which is an Australian wine similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape's multivarietals.

Durif

Durif, or petite sirah, is a descendant of syrah and peloursin. It was propagated by François Durif. Regions such as Rutherglen have garnered international interest for their durif wines. This varietal wine is similar to Shiraz, but with more body and more tannic because the grapes are smaller and have thicker skins. Syrah has been widely planted in California, where it has been popularized for varietal wine (for example, by Bogle Vineyards), and where it has also been blended with zinfandel to produce rich, fruity wines.

Ampelography

Bud apex: cottony, greenish-white; some with slightly carminated lateral ends.

Herbaceous stem: slightly curved, with the ends turned upward, woolly, more intensely towards the apex; green with, with some brownish coloration in knots.

Apicals: folded, cottony, greenish-white, with some carmine tinge on the edges. Basal: slightly folded, woolly on the upper surface, cottony on the lower surface, whitish-green or with a golden hue.

Hermaphrodite flower.

Adult leaf: Central lobe flat or asymmetrically folded, the sides folded upwards; nediana; orbicular; moderately blistered, with variable intensity; green; opaque; typically trilobed.

Lower face clothing: abundant cobweb. Teeth: convex, large. Petiolar Sinus: U lyre tendency. Petiolar point: whitish.

Peciole: medium; woolly; reddish-brown.

Cluster: Conical-elongated, tendency to cylindrical; medium; compact or full.

Berry: Black-blue, ellipsoidal-medium; neutral; soft pulp.

Synonyms

In addition to syrah and shiraz, the grape is known by other synonyms, among which are: antourenein noir, balsamina, candive, entournerein, hignin noir, marsanne noir, schiras, sirac, syra, ryrac, serine and sereine.