Wines made from Syrah grapes of Patagonia
Discover the best wines made with Syrah as a single variety or as a blend of Patagonia.
No one can agree on the origin of Syrah, the black grape variety found today in the Rhône Valley, Provence, Languedoc-Roussillon and southwestern France. Several legends speak of its possible origin in Sicily, Persia or Syria. Tests have finally revealed that it originated in the northern Côtes du Rhône valley. Syrah is a fragile grape variety, which fears drought and is susceptible to disease. Its long shoots are not very resistant to the mistral, which is why they are often tied up or cut short. It needs soil rich in trace elements to feed itself. In these conditions, it produces bunches of beautiful bluish-black grapes with medium-sized berries and sweet, spicy juice. Its red wines are deep in colour, with fruity, spicy and floral aromatic complexity and tannins that structure the whole. With little acidity, they are rather full-bodied and have a high alcohol content. Syrah also makes fruity rosé wines, which are pleasant and have a nice finesse.vinified on its own, Syrah is the only red grape variety of the AOC Cornas and is the majority in the AOC Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage. It is also recommended in the Côtes-du-Vallée du Rhône, Saint-Joseph and Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellations. Finally, the AOCs Palette, Baux-de-Provence, Corbières, Côtes-du-Roussillon, Fronton... also produce it. Today, Syrah is a grape variety that is constantly increasing in surface area throughout the world. It is growing in Italy, Australia, South Africa, Argentina and Mexico.
Patagonia is South America's southernmost wine-producing region. Despite being one of the world's least-obvious places for quality viticulture, this desert region – with its cool, DryClimate – has proved itself well suited to producing Elegant red wines from Pinot Noir and Malbec. The geographical region covers a vast area – around twice the Size of California – across southern Argentina and Chile. Patagonia is more closely associated with dinosaurs and desert than with fine wine, but it has a viticultural zone that stretches 300 kilometers (200 miles) along the Neuquen and Rio Negro rivers, from Anelo in the west to Choele Choel in the east.