The time has come again for the changing of the seasons. The first snowfall of the year has come and gone, much to the chagrin of those who wanted just a few more days of drinking on sunny patios.
This is also the time of year that I switch my boozing habits. Pale ales get replaced with dark stouts, and crisp white wines get replaced with complex reds.
We are also nearing the annual grape harvest time in the Okanagan Valley and Niagara Peninsula, Canada’s two premier wine regions.
Patriotic tipplers may be surprised to hear that we grow a fair bit of Syrah right here in Canada, despite the grape’s reputation as a sun worshipper.
The Syrah grape has its origins in the Rhône Valley of France, from a crossing of the Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza grape varietals, both of which are native to the northern Rhône.
No one knows for sure just when the Syrah grape appeared on the scene, but it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder in ancient Rome, making it at least two millennia old.
Here in Canada, the first known commercial plantings of Syrah are barely two decades, old, first planted in the Niagara wine region in 1997.
The Syrah grape does best in hot and dry climates, with Australia and California leading the pack in world production.
Despite our relatively short growing season in Canada, there are a few hot and dry microclimates in southern Ontario and the Okanagan Valley of BC that the Syrah grape is thriving in.
Syrah can be quite expressive of terroir, with grapes grown in cool climates like Canada or northern France having a more complex and elegant bouquet due to the longer hang time on the vine providing more opportunity to absorb nutrients and mineral notes from the soil.
Hotter climates like California produce a much more fruit-forward and youthful jam-like flavours from the accelerated growing and ripening cycle.
Our beloved Canadian Syrah tends to display notes of violets and plums, which marries well with leather and vanilla aromas from barrel aging.
Syrah is commonly blended with small amounts of a distant relative called Viognier, which provides a fuller body and more balanced wine, with notes of peach and jasmine that complement the wine.
This marriage of Syrah and Viognier is an open secret in the winemaking world, with most bottlings of Syrah containing 3-5% of Viognier. This tiny fraction still allows the wine to be labeled as a Syrah instead of a blend, while providing just enough Viognier to round out and balance the flavours in the Syrah.
My favourite Ontario Syrah is from the Fielding Estate Winery, which overlooks the shores of Lake Ontario. I first visited the winery about 5 years ago, and brought home a case with me on the plane. Fortunately, Fielding wines are now available right here in Alberta, so I can indulge without having to make a trip east.
The Fielding Syrah has a strong tannic backbone, giving it great aging potential, and could easily be laid down in your cellar for a decade or even more. Lush notes of black fruits and currants on the tongue, with tannins that remind me of Darjeeling tea on the finish.
While Ontario may produce the bulk of the output of the Canadian wine industry, I have always been partial to the Okanagan Valley of BC, in no small part because the flight from Calgary to Kelowna is only 60 minutes, making it feasible for a weekend getaway.
My last visit to the Okanagan was just a few months ago, and with nearly 200 wineries in the valley, I never run out of tasting rooms to visit.
My favourite Okanagan Syrah is from Burrowing Owl, a winery located in a unique desertlike ecosystem near Osoyoos, surrounded by sandy soils and scrub brush on a well-drained slope that forces the vines to struggle, producing a small yield of intensely flavoured grapes.
Priced at $50, this is not an everyday drinker, but I pull out a bottle for special occasions. The intense notes of plum and violet aromas complement the toasted coconut and leathery tobacco notes on the finish, making this a full bodied red that I enjoy with gusto.
Look for these and other Canadian Syrah varietals on the shelf of your local booze merchant, and see how we stack up on the world stage!
