A Tour of Wine Grapes: Syrah

Syrah 🍷

Photo by Stephan Ridgway on Wikimedia Commons

The Syrah (Sih-RAH) grape was originally linked to ancient Persia or Egypt. However, DNA testing in 1998 proved that Syrah originated in France. It naturally occurred when two grape varieties from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche, naturally crossed.

Today, Syrah is grown all over the world. Its traditional home remains the northern Rhône Valley in France. It is also grown in Australia, where winemakers call it Shiraz. There, some of the oldest continually producing Syrah vines in the world can be found, with some planted back in 1843. You can also find it growing in large quantities across California, Washington state, South Africa, Chile, and Spain.

Wines made from Syrah have aromas of dark fruits and may also include dried herbs, black pepper and licorice.

On the palate, wines made from Syrah can have flavors of dark fruits like blackberries, blueberries, and black plums. They can also have notes of black pepper, smoke, and black licorice.

Syrah wines generally age very well. Thanks to their natural structure and dark skins, high-quality bottles can easily mature in a cellar for 5 to 10 years, and top-tier versions can evolve beautifully for over 20 years.

To get the most out of your bottle, serve Syrah slightly cool, just below room temperature, between 60°F and 65°F (15°C to 18°C). The best glassware to use is a standard red wine glass.

Behind the Cork™ - Two Hands Angel's Share Shiraz

2018 Two Hands Angel’s Share Shiraz ($33)

Here’s a re-visit with this wonderful Angel’s Share Shiraz from Two Hands.

Angels' Share refers to the small amount of wine that evaporates from oak barrels during maturation. Medieval winemakers assumed that angels watched over the wines, and that they took their share.

Selected from parcels of exceptional McLaren Vale fruit, this wine is made in a true Australian style and will appeal to both angels and mortals alike.

The grapes were crushed into and fermented in five, 7 and 10 ton open fermenters. During the peak of fermentation the batches received regular pump-overs three times daily to extract color, flavor and tannin. The average time on skins was 16 days. And boy did they extract color and flavor!

Once the parcels were dry, the fermenters were drained off and the skins pressed, with the pressings combined with the free run. After 24 hours the individual batches were racked to barrel where malolactic fermentation proceeded. The final blend was unfined and unfiltered prior to bottling.

This Two Hands Angle’s Share Shiraz is really good! It has herbal aromas of mint and pepper and there’s also some earthiness. On the palette, it’s got rich dark fruit flavors including plum and chocolate from the oak aging. The tannin is moderate and the finish just doesn’t quit.

This is a super Shiraz from Two Hands. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Will Rogers, Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Two Hands Angel's Share Shiraz

2018 Two Hands Angel’s Share Shiraz ($33)

Angels' Share refers to the small amount of wine that evaporates from oak barrels during maturation. Medieval winemakers assumed that angels watched over the wines, and that they took their share.

Selected from parcels of exceptional McLaren Vale fruit, this wine is made in a true Australian style and will appeal to both angels and mortals alike.

The grapes were crushed into and fermented in five, seven and 10 ton open fermenters. During the peak of fermentation the batches received regular pump overs three times daily to extract color, flavor and tannin. The average time on skins was 16 days.

Once the parcels were dry, the fermenters were drained off and the skins pressed, with the pressings combined with the free run. After 24 hours the individual batches were racked to barrel where malolactic fermentation proceeded. The final blend was unfined and unfiltered prior to bottling.

This Two Hands Angle’s Share Shiraz is amazing! With herbal aromas of mint and pepper, there’s also some earthiness. On the palette, it’s got rich dark fruit flavors including plum, nice chocolate flavor from the oak aging, moderate tannin and a finish that just doesn’t quit.

This is another super Shiraz from Two Hands. I’m getting more of this one! Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Will Rogers of Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz

2018 Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz ($33)

Two Hands was established in the summer of 1999 with the aim of making the best possible Shiraz-based wines from prized Shiraz growing regions throughout Australia.

The intention was, and still is, to showcase the diversity of Australian Shiraz by highlighting regional characteristics and allowing the fruit to be the primary feature of the wines.

'Two Hands' refers to the very personable approach taken with each parcel of grapes, no matter how big or small. The wines are carefully guided through the viticulture and winemaking process by Proprietor and Managing Director, Michael Twelftree and his dedicated team.

This Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz has a full, rich aroma of berries, plums, lavender and dark chocolate, with hints of spice, earth and anise. The vibrant acid carries the juicy plummy fruit and bitter chocolate flavors seamlessly through the fine tannins.

I had expected this to be a big, bold red. But, I was pleasantly surprised to find this Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Shiraz to be medium in body with juicy fresh fruit flavors and very smooth. This was my first introduction to Two Hands wines but you can bet it won’t be my last. This is a good one! Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Will Rogers of Donna White Communications