Shiraz, Syrah or Shakespeare?

“Come, Sirrah. Crush a cup of wine!”

Who best to play the lead in one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, hmm? A comedian, that’s who! Lenny Henry has proved to us all of late that he is not just the funny-guy-with-the-red-nose. Oh, no. While we all enjoy his lighter side, this full-bodied, hulk of a man with his brooding, dark tones and spicy sense of humour is capable of much more serious and meaningful things too. Yes, Lenny Henry is a Shiraz who occasionally puts on a serious face to become his alter ego – Syrah.

The Shiraz that most of us know and love is that full-on, full-bodied red with its obvious dark plum and spicy, jammy flavours. This is Lenny in his sketch-show format: simple humour, but familiar, fun and easy. You tune in because you want a reliable, big personality.

And just as this very same man can highlight the plight of the third world to millions and churn out some incredible straight-up acting talent, so can Shiraz switch its style to ‘serious’ and call itself Syrah.

Yes, Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape variety. It’s just called different things in different places! Syrah’s heartland is France’s Northern Rhône. Here, it’s all about violets and dried herb aromas with savory, well hung game flavours (I’m not alluding to Lenny here – honest!) and a peppery aftertaste. When a wine is called Syrah elsewhere in the world, this is the style that they are often aiming for. Enter, the Rhône Rangers!

Shiraz is not trying to be such a complex, meaty style. For Shiraz, think hot blackberry jam tarts versus Syrah’s gastronomic feast!

Wine Language Tasting Tour:
Head for Australia’s Barossa Valley for straight-talking, in your face Shiraz.

Compare this to France’s Rhône Valley and the village of ‘Saint-Joseph’ for the violet and dried herb kick!

For something in between the two, I find that Argentina’s Mendoza province is capturing some glorious concentration at really fantastic value.

Forsooth, I must away! Parting is such sweet sorrow…

Winebird

Teach me how to read a wine list!

With another client dinner looming, this was the first question DB (Digiboy) asked me on our very first winebird 'date'. Over several glasses of red, white & rosé, we tackled this question by first considering:

What do you fancy drinking?

A gutsy red? A steely white? If you don't want to just ask the waiter at this point, start with the grape. While styles can vary all over the world, the general flavour profiles of the various grape varieties will be very similar anywhere so, get to know a few of the famous ones.

Here are some simple pointers for the best-known RED GRAPES:

• Chunky, dark, full bodied and blackcurranty = Cabernet Sauvignon
• Soft, chocolately, juicy red fruit = Merlot
• Big, warming, peppery and jammy = Shiraz / Syrah (same thing!)
  
• Lighter bodied and fine, stewed spicy cherries = Pinot Noir
• Silky, concentrated, blueberry and plum = Malbec

And some WHITE GRAPES:

• Dry, grassy, elderflower, cat pee (and sometimes tropical fruit!) = Sauvignon Blanc
• Richer, ripe melon & buttery = Chardonnay
• Steely, dry, crisp and chalky = Chardonnay when it's a Chablis! (more on this later)
• Weighty, floral, peaches and orange blossom = Viognier
• Zesty, lime-citrus and rubber = Riesling

Easy, no? No, because as mentioned above, many labels show no mention of a grape! Instead, they are named after areas. As the area itself denotes a particular grape and style, you need to get to know these. Here are some well-known ones. Print them out and keep them in your wallet!

• Chablis -Chardonnay grape (yes it is!) Named after the village where it's produced in Northern France. Steely-dry, chalky and very elegant.

• Sancerre - Sauvignon Blanc grape. Named after a village in the Loire valley famous for this style of Sauvignon: grassy, elderflower, dry and crisp.   

• Chateauneuf-du-Pape - a blend of red grapes, usually Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre. Named after the region in Southern France. Big, warming, Christmas cakey & figgy.  

• Chianti - Italian region, famous for red 'food' wines made from Sangiovese.

• Burgundy - French wine region famous for reds made from Pinot Noir and whites made from Chardonnay. Some of the very finest wines come from here but they're not cheap! 

• Bordeaux - Another French region famous for fine red blends dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Like Burgundy, you usually have to pay big bucks for the good stuff.  
•  
• Beaujolais - Another French region famous for very light, soft reds tasting of bubblegum and strawberry that are drunk young. Made with the Gamay grape.

• Rioja- Tempranillo grape often with lots of oak aging from the Spanish region of the same name. 

So, Grape and / or Area are generally the two most important pointers on labels, so start with these! The other elements is Producer or Brand Name. As you get more into wine, you'll probably start to pick up which producers are best from an area and which should be avoided.

• Producer is often written as Chateau X or Domaine de X or international versions of that such as Bodega (Spain) and Finca (Argentina).   
• Brand Name. Self explanatory. Check out Fat Bastard or Bob. 

**Style Tip: Hot Climates= Bigger, fruitier and often more alcoholic wines. Cool Climates = Leaner, more elegant, usually with less alcohol**

The examples above are highly generalised, but it doesn't help to go into too much detail too soon. Start with this and we can move on later!

Until next time,

Winebird x

p.s. (Try this great page from the 'winedoctor' for more info on grapes...)