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Miss Popular: Getting to know syrah

Wine lovers worldwide are falling madly in love with the spicy seductress that is syrah. We take a look at what exactly is making this drop the new darling of New Zealand wine production

Seductive, exotic and elegant – with these irresistible qualities it’s no wonder wine lovers around the globe are becoming increasingly infatuated with the stylish and supple syrah.

And infatuated, we are.

In New Zealand, we’re head over heels – in the 1990s, we had under 50 hectares of this plush and aromatic red variety planted in our soils. Today, we have more than 400 hectares.

The syrah produced in New Zealand is renowned for its elegant, aromatic profile with notes of fresh plum, boysenberries and black pepper, which is a stark contrast to the bold, rich Australian syrah or, as they call it, shiraz.

This piquant pepper kick found in New Zealand and other cool climate syrah plays a major role in its seduction-factor. And we’re not just imagining it – a Wine Research Institute study revealed that syrah actually shares a compound with peppercorns.

With the rich, full body of a merlot and the more fragrant and fresh tones of a pinot noir, there is no denying syrah is the new “it girl” of the red world, and the perfect warming tipple for this autumn. 

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