Syrah grapes on the vine. Wine made with the same grapes is designated Shiraz in Australia.
Most grape varieties, regardless of where they are grown around the world, produce wines that have a defining aroma or taste that are universally recognizable. Take Cabernet Sauvignon, for example. Cabernet, produced in such geographically diverse regions as the Napa Valley in California, Bordeaux or the Barossa Valley in Australia, share varietal characteristics with which most wine drinkers can identify.
The same is true of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc's sensory attributes. Sauvignon Blanc produced in New Zealand seems to emphasize more of a melon or ripe fruit component while those made in California can exhibit more of a citrus nuance, yet both seem to share an herbal or grassy quality

WINE TERMS: 'Varietal' --(in U.S. winemaking) designating a wine made entirely or chiefly from one variety of grape. (from dictionary.com)

Zinfandel is another wine that is pretty easy to identify if you drink the wine on a regular basis. I am a "zin-fanatic" so I tend to obsess over the variety and I can usually identify (in a blind tasting) not only that the wine is indeed zinfandel, but sometimes the area of California where the grapes were grown.The list could go on and on with the majority of wines - at least the ones we seem to consume on a regular basis - sharing one or more common characteristics regardless of their viticultural appellation. However, there is one wine that, for me anyway, proves the exception to the rule.

Shiraz, which is the name the Aussies have given to Syrah, shares no common bond with the wine produced in the most famous place the grape is grown - which is the Rhone Valley of France. Ditto, the Syrah produced in the US: it bears no resemblance to French wine made from the same grape.

Australia has been making Shiraz for over a hundred years. As a matter of fact, one of the greatest wines of Australia, Penfold's Grange Hermitage, is made from Syrah and pays homage to the Rhone by its very name. But that's where the similarities end.
In the Rhone, Syrah is the most highly valued of all the red varietals. The most famous wine of the Rhone is Chateauneuf Du Pape. Grown in the very southern area of the Rhone, this wine is a blend of as many as 13 grape varieties with Syrah added to give it character and aging potential.
Surprisingly, the most sought after Syrah is produced in the northern Rhone and particularly around the towns of Cote Rotie, Hermitage and Cornas. The wine produced here is a tannic "full throttle" whopper with black pepper, tar and leather aromas and ripe plum and other dark fruit taste characteristics.

Nowhere on the label will you see the word Syrah, but any red wine from the above-mentioned villages will be predominately made from the grape. Some of the best producers are E. Guigal, Paul Jaboulet Aine, M. Chapoutier, J. Vidal-Fleury and Delas Freres.

So how do Syrah from the Rhone and the Shiraz from Australia differ? While the Rhone can be a backward and very tannic wine in its youth, Shiraz is full-bodied, but usually very forward and easy to drink when it is young. With rich, ripe berry flavors, Shiraz, to me at least, has more in common with zinfandel than the Syrah grown in France. The best of these wines are grown and produced in the Barossa Valley of southeastern Australia. Some of my favorite Shiraz producers are: Longview, Clarendon Hills, D'Arenberg's Laughing Magpie, Greg Norman's Limestone Coast, Torbreck Woodcutter's Red, Elderton; Fox Creek Reserve; Kay Brothers Hillside and Rosemount Balmoral.
Syrah produced in California is just as rich and unctuous as the stuff made Down Under. As a matter of fact, these wines can be "fruit bombs" with sometimes stratospheric alcohol levels. Many of the most sought after are produced along California's central coastal areas such as the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Barbara County. These latter two wine regions were featured in the movie "Sideways."
To be sure, California Syrahs share more common taste components with the Aussies than with the French, yet there are still some differences. Here are some of my California favorites: Melville, Qupe; Babcock; Blackjack Ranch; Sanford; Fess Parker; RH Phillips; Alexander Valley Vineyards; Beckman; Frei Brothers; and, locally owned, Falcor.
I guess you'll just have to pick your favorites. As the French say: "Que Syrah, Syrah..."

A reader asked me where he could find the wines I had suggested in the June 24 Gazette-Mail "Main Ingredient" piece. Good question. The majority of wines I recommend for your sipping pleasure can be found either in local wine shops or grocery store wine areas. When I'm reasonably sure the wines are not available in the area, I will let you know that fact. In that case, you have a couple of choices to get the particular wine.

First, you can ask your local wine merchant to order the wine for you. State wine distributors (wholesalers who sell the wine to your retail outlet) have access to thousands of labels and can probably get the wine to your wine shop. If you don't want to wait the weeks (or possibly months) it will usually take to get the wine, you have the option of ordering it - via phone or Internet - from a wine shop or winery out of state.

Yes, West Virginia is one of the more progressive states when it comes to wine laws. Thanks to some wine-bibbing legislators several years back who passed a good consumer-oriented law, you are legally permitted to order up to two cases of wine per month from out of state retailers or wineries. Simply "Google" the wine in question and voila! (that's pronounced 'Vi-ole- lah!' where I come from), a dad-gum passel of opportunities to purchase the stuff will be presented to you.

In defense of a beverage which truly needs no defense ( when it comes to tastefully matching just about every known edible food), I feel compelled to respond to my good friend and fellow blogger, Rich Ireland, who has once again made less than flattering (dare I say disparaging?) statements regarding the fruit of the vine.

I've let the snide comments slide in the past, but no more. See if you agree that I must defend the honor of Bacchus after what Rich had to say in a recent "Beers To You" blog regarding people who don't seem to like beer - and don't want to give "craft" beer a try:

"Maybe the person who fits the profile of this article doesn't fit the macro brewery profile. Maybe they really want beer with flavor? Maybe something better than Bud? Beer offers a much broader range of flavor than the default epicurean favorite, wine. Yes, I throw down the gauntlet, I said it! Beer is better than wine at delivering varying intensities of flavor; ranging from sweet to bitter, roasted and toasted to fruity and fizzy. You just have to find the right beer for you..."

Dude, what have you been smoking?? It's easy to understand Rich's frustration, though, regarding beer's less than universal acceptance. But don't beat up on wine because it seems to enjoy a broader appeal than that foamy stuff. That's like expressing frustration over the fact that chess is more intellectually challenging than checkers - even though both of them are board games, require two players and are fun to play.

Beer is good. I like it and drink it on occasion. I particularly enjoy beer with pronounced flavors, such as craft beer, and I cannot abide "near beer" (generally referred to as light beer). I also think beer can be a good accompaniment to food. The problem is the lack of available supplies of the stuff. There simply is not enough variety of quality beer available in this marketplace. There is also a limited number of beer critics, like Rich, who actually taste different types of beer with complimenting food.

As far as suggesting that beer is better than wine at delivering intensity of flavor, I would have to disagree simply on the basis of the sheer number of grape varieties in the world, the diversity of flavors which the resulting wines produce and my own not insignificant experience with both products.

No question, wine is enjoying unprecedented popularity now in the US. However, it has taken three decades to get us to this point and we still drink only a fraction of what other civilized nations consume. What it gets down to is building a broader market for beer, and that takes time, marketing, persistence and an industry willing to invest in growth.

I'm confident, Rich and beer lovers like him will get it done. But in the meantime, they're not going to recruit many open-minded people to their cause (particularly wine drinkers) by constantly complaining about wine's popularity and its success as an accompaniment to food.

My advice? Chill out with a nice glass of "intense" Zin.

When Napa Valley lawyers and winery owners Mike Bee and Jim Peterson wanted to start their own winery in the valley, a lot of folks scoffed at the idea. After visiting Napa and talking to many people in the trade, the men were encouraged to modify their idea of building a full-fledged winery and decided to take a more modest approach.

First, they set about finding the right wine maker which led them to Ray Coursen, then the winemaker at Napa Valley's Whitehall Lane. Coursen, a giant of a man with a prodigious appetite for red wine (more about this later), was not only a fine winemaker, but had worked many years in the vineyards so he was aware of where the best grapes were being grown. After some coaxing, Coursen took on the task of producing Falcor wines and produced the first vintage in 1996 with a Burundian-style Napa Valley Chardonnay.

Mike and Jim were very pleased with the result. That led to a stable of limited production wines (about 500 cases for each varietal) including two Chardonnays, Sangiovese, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Le Bijou ( a Bordeaux-style blend) and a Rose. Mike's son, Ryan, is Falcor's general manager and works out of a small Napa office. In addition to his duties, which include criss-crossing the country to open new markets, Ryan is overseeing the building of Falcor's small winery and upscale tasting room which is scheduled to open in August in the southern portion of the Napa Valley.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Mike, Jim and Ryan a few years ago in Napa and tasted through their line of wines with wine maker Ray Coursen. After tasting the Falcor wines, Ray opened a bottle of his Elyse Morisoli Vineyards Zinfandel which we proceeded to empty in short order. Ray then took me next door to a long metal building chock full of Elyse wines, many of which were in l.5 liter bottles. When I asked what his plans were for this fortress of wine, he looked at me and said, "I plan to drink it all myself." I don't think he was kidding. Later, we took a few l.5 liter bottles of Falcor and Elyse to accompany a wonderful leisurely, three-hour lunch at Bistro Jeaunty in Yountville. You can find the entire line of Falcor wines at fine wine shops around the state. The best way to purchase Elyse wines is through the winery online or by searching the Internet for merchants that will ship it to you.

Join host John Brown as WineBoy, Episode 13, visits Wilson Ward’s Fisher Ridge Winery in Putnam County to explore the art of making wine in West Virginia. You’ll get the inside scoop on how wine is created — from the vineyard to the fermenting vats to the press and into the barrel. And you won’t want to miss WineBoy’s unique brand of trick-or-treating in version 13 of the batty, weekly Webcast on wine appreciation.

Going to the WVU-Louisville game next week? Go a day early and join the fine folks at the “Slight Indulgence” wine shop in Morgantown for a special tasting and dinner at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7.  Joe Elchik from Francis Ford Coppola Vineyards will lead the tasting and guest chef Jason Blosser will prepare special dishes to match each of six wines from Coppola. Cost for the event is $65 per person. Seating is limited, so call (304) 599-3402 for reservations. Slight Indulgence is located at 3200 Collins Ferry Road in Morgantown.