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Syrah

Red


(Syrah pronunciation: see-RAH)

Syrah are thick skinned purple-black red wine grapes that are among the top ten most planted varietals in the world. It is the offspring of two ancient varietals; Dureza (a dark skinned grape) and Mondeuse Blanche (a white skinned berry). The grape thrives in environments with warm days, poor soils and sun. It is abundant in France where it originated, as well as Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, California, Washington and Australia. It is recognized for being full bodied with softer tannin and dark fruit flavors.

As a young wine it can have more floral tones, but with age can develop more peppery and herbaceous flavors and a smoky aroma. Some of the most famous vintages come from France’s Cote Rotie and Hermitage appellations. The varietal, with it’s rich color and high tannins, makes it an excellent blending grape. You will often find it in combination with Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre.

Syrah is a wine that often benefits from bottle aging, sometimes for more than a decade. Gold Medal Wine Club has featured an array of Syrah from a variety of small boutique wineries in California. Do not get this confused with the Australian Shariz. A pronunciation for Syrah is (see-RAH). Syrah has been featured in all of our wine clubs including our International Wine Club.

Wineries Producing Syrah