And the Winner is! - Group Syrah Tasting Results

Saturday night a group of 20 people gathered in Weston, CT for a blind tasting comparison of Syrah, Shiraz, and Petite Sirah from around the world. There were 7 wines in the tasting line-up. There was a brief discussion that Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape. Aussies just prefer their made up name Shiraz. Petite Sirah is an entirely different grape--the Durif grape originating from France.

The wines were brown bagged and numbered 1-7. Each person had a sheet listing the name and vintage of each wine along with a brief description and price. Prices ranged from $11.99 to $46.99.

During the tasting period there were some smiles of delight and a few grimaces of displeasure. After everyone had an opportunity to taste the wines, we asked each person which two wines were their favorite and why. Wine #1 and Wine #7 were the winners with Wine #6 and Wine #5 falling closely behind. The brown bags were removed to reveal the winners. To the dismay of many, the top two wines happened to be the least expensive and the most expensive--2007 Cupcake Petite Sirah, California and 2005 Mitolo Reiver Shiraz, Australia.

The group recognized and commented on unique regional differences between the wines. California Syrah was dense with firm tannins, French Syrah was earthy, gamey, and herbally with high acidity, and Australian Shiraz was jammy, mouth-filling and chocolaty. All of the wines had a spicy characteristic typical of Syrah. The grape that seemed to shine was the Petite Syrah. Both wines made from this grape were fresh and charming with sumptuous aromas and flavors.

Below was the tasting lineup in the order tasted with a few participant comments quoted. If you would like to arrange a group tasting, contact Monica at tasting@anconaswines.com.

1. 2007 Cupcake Petite Sirah, Central Coast California, $11.99 (2 for $20) - "Flavorful", "fruity yet spicy with depth", "easy drinking", "delicious", "soft and rich with style", "lovely red berry fruit and pepper with a long finish".

2. 2008 Yves Cuilleron Syrah VdP, $19.99 - "Light and fresh", "fruity and floral", "Beaujolais-like", "clean and pure red berry fruits", "young with high acidity", "easy wine for the non-red drinkers".

3. 2007 R Wines Boarding Pass, South Australia $14.99 - "Easy drinking", "pleasant aromas", "sweet and supple fruit", "not too complex".

4. 2003 Ken Brown Bien Nacido Vineyard Syrah, Santa Maria Valley $37.99 - "Dry", "dark fruit", "firm tannins", "leathery", "needs more aging time", "big wine that drys my mouth", "hard to drink now".

5. 2006 Tardieu-Laurent Crozes-Hermitage Vielles Vignes $34.99 - "Elegant", "earthy", "smoky and meaty", "French-tasting", "nice blackberry fruits", "licoricey", "high acidity", "too barnyardy", "lots of terroir".

6. 2006 Girard Petite Sirah, Napa Valley $29.99 - "Well-balanced", "blueberry pie", "very enjoyable wine", "gorgeous", "fragrant", "delicious", "soft tannins", "a bit of earthiness", "a little mocha with the fruit".

7. 2005 Mitolo Reiver Shiraz $46.99 - "Luscious", "soft and concentrated", "licorice and chocolate flavors", "rich and full-bodied", "ripe fruit with supple tannins", "plum and blueberry fruit", "smooth--goes down easy".