Syrah

Syrah (Sir-raw)        

Considered by many as the ‘new kid on the block,’ the Syrah grape is one that is slowly but surely proving itself beneficial to many producers throughout Tuscany, especially in the Southern Maremma where the temperatures are warmer.  This grape has also gained much acceptance in the South, Sicily especially, for this heat resistant quality.  Most famously from the Rhone Valley in Southern France and Australia (aka Shiraz), this is a grape to look out for in the future for high quality bottlings.  Its history in Italy is a short one, but its future is very promising. 

Syrah is a very small berry with very thick skins, and so it is naturally dark and rich in color and heavy with tannins.  The grape is widely used as a blending grape, adding color and tannin qualities to wines while intensifying the fruit components as well.  Single varietal bottles of Syrah are beginning to show up on the market under the Maremma Toscana I.G.T. designation as well, many of which of a high quality.  This vine is one that does well to struggle, thus further intensifying the aromas in the grapes.  All one has to do is look to a Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyard in the Southern Rhone Valley to see this.  The flavors of a Syrah wine will be very intense and powerful, dark red fruits which have the essence of a dried fruit quality leading to their intensity, as well as a natural black pepper quality and dark chocolate notes.  Syrah is a grape that enjoys the mineral rich dark soils and draws many of its secondary flavors from these.  Oak influence will also contribute woodsy smoky notes which can even be as intense as to go towards smoked meat aromas.