Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/53575
LAST BITE A series of articles on the origins of well-known fruit varieties. Legendary grape S yrah, one of the oldest established wine grape varietals, has traveled the world to be planted on most continents. But until its rediscovery nearly 40 years ago, Syrah was largely unappreciated and near obliteration. Tales of Syrah's history are as rich and complex as the wine itself. It is also known as Shiraz. One legend claims that Romans brought Syrah vines to enjoys new popularity Syrah wines became popular again after being rediscovered by wine critics in the 1970s. While DNA profiling can identify Syrah's parentage, it cannot answer how old the variety is. However, some of the earliest recorded plantings of Syrah in France are dated around 500 B.C.E. Syrah or Shiraz? South Africa, in the 1650s, was the first country outside of France to plant Syrah, though it never took off there as a main variety. James Busby imported the grape into Australia in the early 1830s, and it was commonly called Hermitage until the late 1980s when the name was changed to Shiraz (Hermitage is a French protected designation of origin). It's been reported that Thomas Jefferson raved about wines of Hermitage in his diary. Hermitage wines in the 1800s were among the world's most expensive. The first documentation of Syrah in the United States was in 1878 upon its arrival in California. It's reported to have been exported to Argentina in the 1880s. In Australia, South Africa, and Canada, the grape and wines go by the name Shiraz. In Europe, Chile and Argentina, the United States, and New Zealand, wines go by Syrah. However, both names can legally be used in the United States. Syrah wines made in the United Syrah grapes in a Mattawa, Washington, vineyard, ready to be picked. France where they were planted in Vienne in the Rhône Valley in a region now known as Côte Rôtie. Another says that French crusaders brought Shiraz into France during the 1300s. Writings of Pliny the Elder called the vines Allobrogica. One of the more colorful legends has it that the grapes were brought from Shiraz, Iran, to France by colonists from Phocaea, who founded the colony of Massalia (modern-day Marseille) around 600 B.C.E. A Persian king was said to be so fond of the Shiraz grapes that he wanted to enjoy them yearround, so he had the grapes stored in a cellar. He sent his slaves to retrieve some grapes, and when they did not return, he found them dead in the cellar from carbon dioxide poisoning coming from the fermented fruits. One of the king's mistresses drank the fermented juice, thinking it was lethal. But instead of the juice taking her life, it put her in a happy mood. DNA testing Dr. Carole Meredith, researcher from the University of California, Davis, and French researchers laid to rest the various legends when they proved in the late 1990s by DNA testing that Syrah is the offspring of two obscure Rhône Valley varietals. One parent is Dureza, a dark- skinned berry, and the other Mondeuse Blanche, a white grape variety. Syrah is the main red variety in French wines from the Crozes- Hermitage and Hermitage appellations, and it is the only grape variety grown in the Cornas appellation, a small appellation in the Rhone Valley. Only Syrah and Viognier are grown in the Côte Rôtie appellation. 46 FEBRUARY 1, 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER Rediscovery Today, Shiraz is the most popular variety planted in Australia, and the variety ranks in the top seven in the world. But as recent as the 1960s, growers in Côte Rôtie had almost abandoned the grape, and only about 6,700 acres were left in all of France. A short time later, in the 1970s, the grape had lost favor in Australia as well, and growers there were replacing unprofitable Shiraz vineyards with white varieties. A transformation took place when northern Rhône Syrah wines were "rediscovered" by wine critics in the late 1970s, leading to worldwide interest and increased popularity of the varietal. Interest intensified when the famous wine critic Robert Parker, in the 1980s and 1990s, began awarding perfect 100-point scores to Syrah wines. In the last two decades, interest in Syrah has resurged all around the world. Australia has become known for its Shiraz wine exports, and the variety is the most widely planted Rhone varietal in California (more than 19,200 acres were planted there as of 2009). Syrah, first planted in Washington in 1986, now ranks third of all red varieties in the state. From 1999 to 2011, Syrah acreage in Washington more than doubled, going from 1,500 to 3,103 acres. • —Melissa Hansen Sources for this article include: Origin of Syrah by Carole Meredith, University of California, Davis; the Shiraz Guide (http://shiraz.us); Tablas Creek Vineyard; and Côte Rôtie AOC (www.cote-rotie.com). States in the Old World style are usually called Syrah; wines made in the more fruit- forward, New World style are often called Shiraz. www.goodfruit.com melissa hansen