Syrah wine

The syrah is a typical French red grape of the Northern Cotes du Rhone. Today it is becoming a grape with a global reach.

Origin and History

Many hypotheses about its origin have been proposed, with some of them becoming legends. These suggest the syrah to be:

from the Iranian city of Shiraz, reported by the Crusaders in the eleventh century or twelfth century;
a direct descendant of the famous allobrogica Gallo-Roman grape;

from Syracuse, as reported by the Romans;
an island of the Cyclades known as Syros or Syra.
the Syria vine, Syriaca vitis, cited by Pliny the Elder.
The problem is that there is no record of the syrah in any of these regions, or anything even resembling the grape. Andrew and Levadoux, in 1964, ranked in the syrah grape of the group of serine with the N Mondeuse black, the white Mondeuse B, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne.

In 1998, DNA tests were conducted to determine the parents of syrah. She is the daughter of crossing the white Mondeuse dureza B by N, an old variety from the Ardeche, only now in this collection. The crossing took place in the northernmost part of the Cotes du Rhone, Isere probably, where both parents were present. This analysis confirms what had been anticipated by Andre Levadoux, that genetics is a relay of ampelography. The syrah has a French origin, and belongs to the family of serine.

Range
The syrah is predominant in the northern coast of the Rhone. It is the only grape permitted for red wines of Cornas appellation. It may be associated with the Marsanne and Roussanne in Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage and St. Joseph, and Viognier in the red wines of Cote Rotie appellation (by decree of December 21, 1966, “the proportion of Syrah must be at least 80% of the weight of grapes used in the tank to produce the wine with the right to make Cote Rotie appellation”).

Apart from this favorite region, this grape has long been neglected because of its low yield and lack of resistance to certain diseases. Today, this is no longer the case, and the syrah has spread throughout the Rhone valley (southern coast of the Rhone) and then to Provence, the Languedoc-Roussillon and south-west, including replacing the Carignan, whose reputation is unjustly degraded.

Plantings of syrah rose from 1,600 ha in 1958, to over 37,000 in 1994 (with more than half in Languedoc-Roussillon). In 2006, its surface has reached 67,592 ha. It is also grown on 2,000 ha in Italy; 5,450 ha in 1991 in Australia; 750 ha in 1992 in South Africa; and on 680 ha in Argentina, Mexico, California, and Switzerland.
Genetic variability
Clones

The first collection of over 600 clones of syrah was established in 1995 in the Drome. Another was established in 2002 in the Rhone; it includes fifty clones. Sixteen clones were approved from a selection in the old vineyards of Tain l’Hermitage and experimental culture parcels.

Metis

The Durif is a spontaneous cross of syrah N and peloursin N.  Durif was circulated in the nineteenth century but is now extinct in the French vineyards.

Synonyms
Syrah is also known by the names Antournerein Black, Balsamina Argentina, Biaune, Candive, Entournerin, Hermitage (Australia), Hignin Black, Marsanne Black or Marzani, Black Morocco, Neretto di Saluzzo in Italy, Petite Syrah, Shiraz, Serene, Serine or Serinn, Shiraz, Sirac Maghreb, and Syra.

In the Anglo-Saxon, the petite syrah is referenced. This is actually the Durif.

Ampelographic Characteristics
Downy young twig.
Young green leaves.
Rameau ribbed, with long internodes and green.
Adult leaves with 5 lobes, petiolar sinuses open lower lateral sinuses open, teeth and short to medium ogival, a waffle blade.
Clusters are small to medium, with small and elliptical bays.

Skills
Viticulture

Syrah emits long, brittle, winding branches in spring, requiring careful trellising. It has just a short waist. Easily susceptible to chlorosis, it requires a suitable rootstock. The maturity is rapid, requiring monitoring to determine the optimal time of harvest.
Sensitivity
Syrah fears the mites and botrytis maturity.

Decline of the syrah

Since the mid-1990s, the syrah is a victim of a decline whose causes are unknown. A blistering at the graft suggests that grafting may be the cause. Research is underway to study the progression from one to the disease in a parcel, including the mode of transmission (inoculation test on stem tests), study of the callus formation from the transplantation welding, research of pathogens, and the study of factors that encourage or inhibit the decline of syrah.

Technology

Syrah gives the wine color, and is very aromatic, complex, very alcoholic, very fine, full bodied, but with low acidity (pH higher in shale soils). In favorable conditions, the wines are suitable for storage. They also provide fruity wine that is easy to drink. The roses are bright, aromatic, fine and very fruity.
Flavors

The syrah is known for its fruity aromas (red and black fruits: raspberry, currant, blueberry, blackberry), floral (violet, mignonette), spicy (truffles, licorice, menthol) or balsamic (blond tobacco).
Health

The syrah is a grape whose wines are richer in the resveratrol molecule, which several clinical trials have shown has cardio protective, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic effects.