Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to the Newsletter of Extreme Power for Carpe Vinum Tasting That Carries Such Extreme Power. I hope the Holiday went well for you all as we head into the final stretch of 2006. So in preparation, let’s visit one of my favorite varietal wines: It’s the Incredible, indelible, unforgettable, and totally versatile Syrah (aka Shiraz). This is one grape varietal that has more personalities than . . . well, someone with a lot of personalities. Is Sybil still a valid reference? Let me explain.

I my line of work here as the resident wine monger, I have the incredibly tasking job of tasting numerous, if not innumerable, wines per week. I’ll taste somewhere between one wine and several hundred, depending on special events put on by distributors or wine festivals or tasting at wineries and so on. I know. Tough job. Throughout these multiple wines there are many grape varieties that give you what you expect. Cabernet Sauvignon is pretty much a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot is pretty much Merlot, and Chardonnay is pretty much Chardonnay. All with varying degrees of oak, depending on the discretion (or lack thereof) of the winemaker. But Syrah! Syrah seems to exemplify and express the terroir of the growing region more poetically than any other grape.

In Southeastern Australia we find many huge, hulking, fruity and jammy bombs of Syrah practically bursting out of the bottle. In the Southwest of Australia the wines are more subdued with more emphasis on the spicy characteristics of clove, anise, nutmeg and so on. In the Northern Rhone of France we find the Syrah with other darker spicy notes of black and white pepper, flavors I also found recently in a Willamette Valley Syrah (of which there are very few). South Africa produces a Syrah that is so meaty it’s served Medium Rare, not room temperature. In California there tends a balance of many of those fruity and spicy characteristics, depending on regional diversity, and in Washington the styles can be leaner and cleaner, but still exude all the powerful fruit of which this varietal is capable. Recently I read that India is starting production of Syrah, as well. The climate is so warm in the region that they grow the grapes during the winter, and trim back the vines during the summer to simulate a vine’s winter hibernation. That’s something I’d love to try! (The wine. Not a summer hibernation.)

Shifting gears, though, one of the most common questions I get in here is “What’s the difference between Syrah and Shiraz?” Quite simply, it’s just the name. There’s an update on that explanation, though. Up until today I thought the grape came from the city of Shiraz, its namesake in Persia (Iran), many years ago and that through years of French pronunciation it became “Syrah”. Now results posted from the UC Davis wine geneticists have concluded that Syrah, at least the Syrah that is currently cultivated as “Syrah” or “Shiraz” is actually native to the French Rhone, and a cross between the grapes “Dureza” and “Mondeuse Blanche”. That totally throws a brick into the “Shiraz” theory, and I haven’t found any explanation as to why these grapes were ever called “Shiraz”, unless it was a misidentification somewhere along the way. So to make a long story short: The “why” of the Syrah/Shiraz story is unclear, but the “what” is simple. It’s the same thing. The same delicious thing.

So Friday, December 1st, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Syrah (aka Shiraz)!!!
Stonecap Vineyards 2004 Syrah, Columbia Valley, Washington
3 Rings 2005 Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia
Chateau Val Joanis 2003 Cotes du Luberon, France
Montes 2004 Alpha Syrah, Colchagua Valley, Chile
Rosenblum 2004 Syrah Abba Vineyard, Lodi, California

Shiraz (dba Syrah)!!!
Fidelitas 2004 Columbia Valley, Washington
The Pines 2005 Syrah, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is The French Rhone!

M