SYRAH CHANGES ITS TONE WITH THE TERROIR
Adaptability has made it one of world’s most planted grapes, different by the region
As a sommelier and wine writer, both of which fall under the wider umbrella of wine educator, my job is to guide people in different directions with respect to their wine choices.
I like to gently nudge people from one wine to the next, without shocking their system. That means if you love wildly fruity and richly textured Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, I won’t bring you an herbal and high-acid Chinon from the Loire.
I’m pretty good at it. But one grape variety has always posed a problem for me: Syrah, or Shiraz. Nomenclature aside, I think most people realize it’s the same grape — one that has an incredible capacity to change its character depending on where it’s grown.
Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, which tend to show their primary varietal character no matter where they are grown, Syrah can be a chameleon. Change the growing conditions, and the grape seems to morph into something completely different. This adaptability has vaulted it into the upper echelon of the world’s most planted grapes. In the mid-1980s, there were under 20,000 hectares of Syrah planted worldwide. Today, there are close to 200,000 hectares.
This has led to a phenomenal selection of Syrahs. However, they come from such a wide variety of climates and soils that figuring out what style of wine you are getting has become problematic. Exacerbating the problem is that this chameleonic character does not have a national identity.
A Cabernet Sauvignon from France and a Cabernet Sauvignon from California have distinctly different styles. Of course there are shades of difference between regions and appellations, but the central themes remain the same.
Even within regions, Syrahs can be very different animals. In its native northern Rhône, a Côte-Rôtie is light-bodied, floral and peppery, whereas a Cornas tastes like cassis jujubes, has higher alcohol and is a relative monster of a wine. We all think we know Australian Shiraz, but taste one from Barossa Valley — known for being the most powerful incarnation of the grape — and then one from the cooler Victoria region, and you have two very different wines.
Here in Canada, it’s no different. Much of the Syrah from B.C.’s Okanagan and further south in Osoyoos is closer in style to the southern Rhône, with its dark fruit and black olive notes. Niagara’s Syrah is quite delicate in general — more floral and fresh. Like many a Côte-Rôtie, it seems closer to fine Beaujolais than a classic “big” wine.
Despite this confusion, Syrah has become one of my favourite wines to taste. As a rule of thumb, cooler climates will usually mean red berries, floral and peppery notes and higher acids. Warm climates will usually bring darker fruits, black olive and meatier notes.