Mar 24 2010
New York Uncorked: Syrah
When uncorking this powerful red wine a connoisseur enjoys the rich deep taste of a black fruit. The color of this fruit is the darkest among wine grapes in that it resembles black. The ancestry of this fruit comes from two little know vines of the dureza and mondeuse blanche from the southeastern part of France.
There are many different names this fruit is called including sirac, shiraz, syrac and serine to name a few. There are also several legends about its true origin. Many of them have the wine originating in the Iranian town of Shiraz and then brought to the Rhone region of France, just when is debated.
One version has the Phocaeans to their colony around Marseilles in about 600 BC. The other is that a crusader named Gaspard de Sterimberg brought it to France. Neither has any historical data to back it but it make interesting story telling while drinking this fine wine. The last lacks the same data but there are claims that the Romans brought it to France n 280 AD.
The fruit of this vine is late budded so late spring frost does not affect it but it does require a good deal of heat to ripen. Vineyard managers must be careful though because if this grape over ripens then it loses its characteristics and a wine of poor quality will be the result. The aroma is spicier than most red wines and is capable of obtaining a strong alcoholic content.
This full-bodied red wine is a favorite in many parts of the world to uncork. This is one wine that is best served after considerable aging.
