If you are familiar with the Glen Fiona wine brand, you probably understand that the winery specializes in Syrah wines. Put simply, Syrah wines are wines made of grapes of Syrah variety. Glen Fiona has been, for a long time, a winery that focuses on making Rhone-style wine, of which the Syrah wine is part. Well, sipping the wine off your stemware is fun and exciting and all but did you know anything about the primary ingredient that makes up your most favorite wine brand? In that case, you should read on to know more. But first thing first; you should not confuse the Syrah grape variety discussed here with the Petit Sirah, which is another grape variety produced in 1880 by crossing the Syrah grape with the Peloursin grape. Syrah grape is also known as Shiraz. It is a grape variety with dark skin and it can be found grown all over the world. Syrah is grown primarily to be used in winemaking. It was discovered in 1999 that Syrah grape is actually the offspring of two grapes variety from southeastern France, Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza, both of which are obscure.
The climate of the area where Syrah is grown influences the flavor profile and the style of the wines made of it. Areas with moderate climates (e.g. Walla Walla Valley (the origin of the Glen Fiona wine) in Washington State or northern Rhone Valley) produce wines that are of medium to full body. The wine also contain hints of black pepper, mint, and blackberry as well as higher levels of tannin. Areas with hot climates (e.g. Australia’s Vale and Barossa Valley regions and Crete) produce wines that are consistently full-bodied. Their tannin levels should be much softer with hints of fruitiness and spices such as anise and licorice.
Syrah grapes can be used as a blend or a single variety. In 2004, it was estimated that Syrah is the 7th most grown grape variety in the world, following strong planting movement that occurred several years before. The number of area planted with Syrah was estimated to be 142,600 hectares. Syrah can be observed being grown across the globe such as France, Washington, California, New Zealand, Waiheke, the Hawke’s Bay, South Africa, and Chile. Australia is also a prominent place to grow Syrah with several regions observed to produce the grapes such as McLaren Vale, Margaret River, Hunter Valley, Coonawarra, Heathcote, and Barossa.
