Que Syrah, sera!

[Umpqua Wineau]

First. Congrats to Abacela Vineyard in the Umpqua Valley for being named 2013 Oregon Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest.

In that article the owner of Abacela states: “Syrah is the easiest to grow, but good Syrahs don’t sell,” Jones said. Pity.

A major reason for my undaunted support of the Umpqua Valley AVA is the ability to grow a wide diversity of grapes. I believe that the grape that "loves" it most here is Syrah!

So why does Mr. Jones feel that Syrahs don't sell? My best guess for this is that people haven't tried enough Syrah to realize what a bargain our local Syrahs are. Unfortunately, this varietal has suffered greatly by the flood of mediocre wine from Australia; Shirraz. It's essentially the same grape that in most cases has been "doctored" to give this big fruity wine that takes the taster miles off the Syrah mark.

We "wine enthusiasts" seek out wines that represent the "benchmark" of the grape. Meaning that over thousands of years Syrah has been developed to give its best expression in a certain climate. That had been the Rhone Valley in France until it spread around the world. Short story is that our climate is a good match for that benchmark taste. Simple.