One of my pet peeves with the wine industry over the years has been the occasional practice of inventing a new term to describe an already defined word. This results in only further confusing already-bewildered American wine consumers who must regularly deal with labels in foreign languages and nonsensical descriptions of wines as being Ƶethereal.Ƶ
Anyway, I was reminded of this recently when someone asked me to describe the difference between red wines Syrah and shiraz. Well, for those of you who donƵt know, Syrah is the world-famous grape that has been grown and produced in the Rhone Valley of France for centuries.
Shiraz, on the other hand, is an invented word that some wine marketer decided to call the Syrah made in Australia and South Africa Ƶ and now sometimes even in California.
You wonƵt see the word Syrah mentioned on any Rhone label because the wine there is identified by the producer and the place (like Cote-Rotie or Cornas), but most red wine from the region will be comprised of that grape.
I mention this because if you donƵt sip Syrah, or even the stuff labelled shiraz, youƵre missing out on wines that, while different in name, place and in the way theyƵre vinified, are both excellent and worthy of your exploration.
The best Rhone producers are E. Guigal, Paul Jaboulet Aine, M. Chapoutier, J. Vidal-Fleury and Delas Freres. These wines are more restrained, complex and less highly alcoholic than most of the Australian, South African and American versions of the Syrah called shiraz.
In the US, wine labeled as Syrah was not widely available until the 1980s, when the ƵMonty PythonƵ of California wine makers, Randall Graham (Bonny Doon Vineyards), was one of the first to introduce Syrah and other Rhone varietals to California. If youƵve never read one of GrahamƵs pun-filled, semi-wine related, opera-inspired tomes, youƵre missing a great opportunity to add knowledge and humorous wine education tidbits to your appreciation of the fruit of the vine. Check out his book: ƵBeen Doon So Long.Ƶ ItƵs a riot!
If you would like to sample Syrah from California, some of my favorite labels are Qupe, Onx, Ƶcent, Cayuse, Babcock, Alexander Valley Vineyards and Beckman.
The Australians, particularly in the Southeastern Barossa region around Adelaide, make a fuller-bodied style of shiraz. My favorites from Down Under are Clarendon Hills; Torbreck Woodcutters Red, Penfolds Kalimna, Lindemans Bin 50, Elderton and dƵArenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz.
Whether you call it Syrah or shiraz, go out and experience the tasteful versatility of these delicious wines.
Wine Spectator recognizes West Virginia restaurants
I remember a time Ƶ just a couple of decades ago Ƶ when perusing a wine list in a West Virginia restaurant took about 10 seconds. The choices usually included a ƵhouseƵ white, red and roseƵ usually supplied by some mega-jug-wine producer in California.
If you wanted a varietal like pinot noir or chardonnay, the wine list might have a ƵBurgundyƵ red or a ƵChablisƵ white. If you wanted anything more upscale, youƵd need to drive over to The Greenbrier.
But thankfully, times have changed, and our state boasts some excellent restaurants that feature a wide selection of domestic and international wines. To recognize restaurants that have the most exceptional wine lists, each year Wine Spectator Magazine singles out eateries for special awards.
Congratulations to four West Virginia restaurants that have been recognized by the Wine Spectator for having award worthy wine lists. The Final Cut Steakhouse at Hollywood Casino and Racetrack in Charles Town received a ƵBest of award of ExcellenceƵ while three other state restaurants rated an ƵAward of Excellence,Ƶ including The Wonder Bar Steakhouse in Clarksburg, Bistro 112 in Shepherdstown and Sip Downtown Brassiere in Huntington.
And a special shout out to The Wine Down, CharlestonƵs new wine bar at 114 Washington St. West in Elk City. Open most afternoons and early evenings, The Wine Down features a rotating selection of reds, whites, sparklers and roseƵs along with charcuterie plates and other wine friendly small tapas-like dishes to pair with an eclectic and always-changing list. Check it out.
John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book in the Augie Trilogy — “Augie’s Wine” — is now available. His first two books — “Augie’s War” and “Augie’s World” — are also available online and in bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all of his archived Vines & Vittles columns at .
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