Syrah
Where does Syrah come from? The question can be broken up into pieces. From Syracuse or Sicily? Maybe, if we use our imagination, its spelling is synonymous with syrac. From Shiraz, in Iran? The legend clarifies this possibility by specifying that it would have been bought over from the Persian Gulf in the 13th Century, at the time of Knight Sterimberg's crusades who withdrew himself on the hill of Hermitage. In any case, that is where the synonym Red Hermitage would have come from. The final possibility would be that it" as introduced in France in the 3rd Century during Emperor Probus' era who authorised the planting of vines in Gaule. But that doesn't stop it from having Sicilian or Persian origins. Be that as it may, nobody has challenged the fact that syrah has undeniable southern origins. The proof is shown by its extraordinary development in all the vineyards in the hot corners of the planet.
Dr. Henry Wuilloud is responsible for bringing syrah to Valais. In 1926, after a trip to Hermitage, he planted a few feet of it in his vineyard in Diolly, above Sion, and also on some other plots in the area. In 1962, it was planted in Leytron, in the Grand-Brûlé, the domain belonging to the State of Valais.
Ripening rather late, syrah is a vigorous and fertile vine variety. It must therefore be planted on well exposed plots and not be concerned by a green harvest. The conditions in our vineyards, the yield can reach over a kilo per squared metre, which doesn't make wines which are concentrated enough. The wine makers are aware of this.
Syrah can have problems setting fruit, particularly in bad weather. It can also suffer from dryness, so it can benefit from mild watering. It can also suffer from chlorosis and its leaves turn red in the autumn.
The undulating leaves on syrah vines are round and rugged with a downy underside. It has five lobes which are moderately pronounced. The bunch of grapes is cylindrical, quite long and often winged. Sometimes loose, sometimes compact, the bunches made up of egg-shaped grapes which are bluish black in colour and generally covered in an abundance of pruine.
The best syrah from Valais does not have much in common with their colleagues from the Rhône Valle " Like the famous wines from Cornas, some of them could be described as "black wine". Their colour is always an inky, reddy-purple. It is strong to the nose, with pronounced aromas of black berry and spices. Pepper, coriander and clove aromas battle to be the most noticed. All these characteristics can be found in the taste. This wine is tannic, full-bodied and often rich to taste. When the yield has been mastered, syrah is very well adapted to being aged in casks, thus acquiring good potential as a wine for storing.
The most famous syrah comes from the northern part of the Côtes-du-Rhône: mostly going by these names - côte-rôtie, cornas, hermitage, saint-joseph. In France, the syrah culture has literally exploded in the last few decades. In forty years, the surface area on which it is planted has gone from 1,600 to 45,000 hectares! Besides the Rhône Valley, syrah is mostly found in Provence, in the Languedoc and in the south west. The other European countries where it is cultivated include Switzerland, with slightly more than 80 hectares, Italy (98 hectares), and to a lesser extent in Greece and Cyprus.
Syrah has also colonised the new world: Australia (13,410 hectares), Mexico (1,740 hectares), California (1,670 hectares), South Africa (1,330 hectares), Argentina (680 hectares), Brazil (100 hectares) and New Zealand (13 hectares).
There are some 65,000 hectares of syrah worldwide.
Syrah is a vine variety which is expanding at a phenomenal rate in Valais. In 1991, there were barely 18 hectares of it. In 1998, there surface area had grown to 45 hectares, and 91 hectares were counted at the 2002 harvest. As with the other good quality late vine varieties, this progress should continue, as long as the land is available in the best planting zones.
Syrah is a wine which goes wonderfully well with gastronomy. It is delicious with all red meat, especially the stronger ones. Its spiciness is a perfect accompaniment for game and tasty cheeses.