International Syrah Day! Wine Holidays 2024
International Syrah Day, sometimes referred to as Global Syrah Day, is celebrated annually on February 16th!
Syrah is most famous in the Rhône Valley, where it dominates the plantings in the Northern Rhône and is a significant part of the blends of the Southern Rhône. You will find it all over the globe; it is Shiraz in Australia, gained acclaim in California thanks to the Rhône Rangers, and is popular in Washington, where it grows well in the Yakima Valley and may well be working its way to overtaking Cabernet Sauvignon as the favorite in the Red Mountain AVA.
Flavors and Aromas of Syrah
Syrah is a chameleon, changing a bit with its environment. You might get notes of blackberry, raspberry, black currant, or plum. There could be whiffs of violets or rose petals and perhaps spicy black peppercorns. As it ages, you might get bacon, a sense of leather, licorice, coffee, cloves, caramel, or dark chocolate. It all depends on the soil, climate, and the winemaker!
Food Pairings with Syrah
Of course, I encourage you to explore! But here are some go-to pairings for Syrah.
- Bacon!!!! (it has never let me down!)
- Ribs and Barbeque
- Burgers
- Blue cheese
- and if you are Vegan or Vegetarian, try grilled eggplant!
- If you are into wine and chocolate (I am), dark chocolate can be delicious with Syrah (check out my suggestion below!)
Syrah from around the Globe!
This is a grape that changes depending on its environment, which, for me, makes it wonderful to explore, finding its different personalities in different soils and climates.
Since this is “International” Syrah Day, feel free to grab a couple! Perhaps find Syrah from two vastly different regions and do a little taste comparison!
Que Syrah Syrah
I’m humming “Que Sera Sera,” which is kind of appropriate. The phrase means loosely “Whatever will be will be,” as the song goes. So is Syrah, whatever it will be, wherever it finds itself. With its global nature and being found in so many countries, the phrase is also appropriate, as it is not Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, or French…it is composed of Spanish or Italian words in an English phrasing.
The song…(yes, I’m on a real tangent here) was written by Livingston and Evans, who found the words in the film “The Barefoot Contessa” where they are carved in stone. (Art inspired by art)
Do we ever talk about Syrah on Crushed Grape Chronicles?
We have been inspired by Syrah…You can find a few articles on this grape and wines made from it on CrushedGrapeChronicles!
I made you a list…
- Day 2 of 12 days of wine in Australia- Snake + Herring 2019 ‘Redemption’ Syrah
- Syrah and Aloha Doing Earth Month Island Style with L’Ecole No 41
- 12 days of Wine 2020, Day 5 Co Dinn Syrah 2015
- The beginnings of Nebbiolo and Syrah at Red Willow
- Hedges Family Estate, Syrah
- A tale of two syrahs
- On the 11th Day – A Ballard Canyon Syrah from Larner & Beef Stew
- On the 10th Doon of Wine…short ribs and Syrah from Bonny Doon
- A Trio of Syrahs from California’s Central Coast
- Wine and Cheese pairings, Syrah
- Rhone Valley, Syrah
- Wine 101: Syrah, Scents, Taste and food pairings
- The Syrah Clones at Larner Vineyards
- Chad Melville – SAMsARA Sta. Rita Hills Syrah
- Winemaker, Mark Horvath speaks about his Sta. Rita Hills Syrah
- Mark Horvath, Crawford Family Wines on Sta. Rita Hills Syrah
- Scott Sampler on his White Hawk Syrah
- Syrah Seminar 2016 SB Vintners – Episode 4 Larry Schaffer of tercero on White Hawk Vineyard
- Bob Lindquist, Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard
- xobc – love, wine, and paying it forward
- Mexican Wines – 2 wines from the central Mexican highlands of Querétaro
My FAVORITE pairing, you will find in our article Co Dinn 2015 Syrah Roskamp Vineyard Block 2 – Day 5 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020
Black cherry ice cream Sandwiches with espresso and cocoa cookie with this Co Dinn Syrah
Here’s the recipe!
Syrah 101
If you want a bit more info…one of our most popular videos on YouTube is our Syrah 101!
So, hum a little tune, sip a little wine, and enjoy International Syrah Day!
Do you want to be in the know on all the Wine Holidays in 2024?
We have a downloadable calendar with all the wine holidays we could find! To get it, just sign up for our newsletter here. (We won’t inundate your email box with tons of stuff, just a once-a-month update on all the food, wine, places, and people we have been writing about!)
When you finish, it will take you to a page where you can print or download the calendar!
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Check out our book series, “Tempting Spoonfuls” available through Amazon!
Inspired by the flavors and aromas in wines, these books create “tempting spoonfuls” of flavors to pair with wines.
“Tempting Spoonfuls – Pairing single bites with glorious wines” – Our first book paired wines from boutique wineries on the west coast, in California, Oregon, and Washington, with delicious spoonfuls.
This book is 60 pages, 18 recipes, lots of beautiful photos, and insights into some fantastic small wineries!
“Tempting Spoonfuls – small bites paired with wines from around the Globe” – This book takes us around the globe to explore 12 wine regions, a wine from the region, and then gives you a recipe for a pairing!
A slightly larger book at 104 pages, this time you learn about pairing with a type of wine from a region. Rather than a specific bottle, you can look for a style of wine from a region and feel confident that it will go well with the recipe pairing we provide. We give you 12 recipes, each to pair with a wine.
The goal is to make your mouth water and encourage you to create your own “Tempting Spoonfuls.”
2 Comments
Leave your reply.