I kept myself pretty busy this past weekend by working a few of the wine events I had mentioned in previous columns. Even though I was tired after many hours of work, I consider myself lucky. I was exposed to great food, wine, and most importantly, the people that make it all happen. I poured so much wine, my hands were stained a violet red by the time it was all done.
On Sunday night, despite my fatigue, I decided I was going to make a nice dinner for myself. I pulled out a pork loin roast I had in the refrigerator and seasoned it with a great dry rub. The rub had an assortment of chilies, fresh herbs, salt, pepper and some fresh ground espresso coffee. I seared it on my grill at a very high temperature for about five minutes on each side, lowered the heat and finished cooking the meat at 15 minutes per pound until it was medium rare and perfectly tender. My side dishes included some rice and Brussels sprouts with seared pancetta and shallots.
While the meat was resting and the saliva glands were working overtime, I needed to find a wine that would pair well with the dishes – and the food that was on them! I reached into my stash and pulled out a bottle of syrah.
The syrah grape is considered one of the “big six” grapes in the industry today, along with chardonnay, sauvignon Blanc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir.
The history of the syrah grape dates back to Roman times. Some say the grape originated in the Rhone Valley in France or was imported by the Crusaders returning from Persia. It can now be found all over the world, but is best known in three areas: Australia, France and the western United States. Each of these areas lends a unique climate zone that can influence some of the flavors and aromas you find in syrah.
In Australia, syrah is called shiraz. Shiraz/syrah are one and the same; there is no difference. A lot of recent popularity with syrah can be attributed to Australia, where syrah composes 40 percent of the grape crop. Because of its location in the southern hemisphere, Australian syrah tends to be sweeter, spicier and more full-bodied than syrah from France. Australia has also gained a reputation for producing interesting and inexpensive blends, mostly cabernet sauvignon and syrah, for the world market. This exposure has helped put Australia on the wine map, so to speak.
The wine I pulled out for my dinner was from Penfolds, a popular and large producer of wines in Australia. The bottle was a 2002 Shiraz Kalimna Bin 28. It runs about $20 at Beverages & More. It had a nice balance of pepper and plums that went well with the rub on the meat.
For the French version of syrah, you can look toward the northern part of the Rhone Valley to find Cote Rotie and Hermitage wines that are made exclusively with the syrah grape. In the southern part of the Rhone Valley, syrah is often blended with other varietals, like grenache, to make Chateau-Neuf-du-Pape and Cotes-du-Rhone. These wines tend to be lighter and have higher acidity due to the cooler weather.
As I wandered through Beverages & More like a child in a candy store, I also decided to pick up two bottles of Jekel Vineyards 2001 syrah from Monterey. You can find this wine reasonably priced at $15, but I felt even better because I scored the second bottle for a nickel. This wine had just a hint of spice and loads of fruit that made it slightly sweet.
If you are curious or if you happen to see a wine labeled petite syrah or petit sirah, this is not a smaller grape version of syrah.
In the United States, most plantings of petite syrah were done in the 1950s. Field blending, or having multiple varietals planted in the same area, was often done in order to make mass quantities of burgundy table wine. Genetic testing in the past few years have shown that almost all the vines called petite syrah are actually the Durif grape, named after a French doctor who was working on a grape strand that could resist powdery mildew.
Go buy a few bottles of syrah from the different areas, keeping the cost in the same price range. This will allow your senses to pick up on the similarities and differences, enabling you to choose the right style for the right occasion.
Cheers!
