Que Syrah, Syrah

Wine: Jackson Triggs 2006, Delaine Vienyard Syrah; Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada


Paired with: Pernil (roast pork), chorizo-yuca mofongo

Comments: We've expressed our love of Jackson Triggs in the past. The winery and people are wonderful, the wines are better. So, we expected to get a good wine when we first tasted this. We got a great wine.

But first, let's clear something up. Syrah? Shiraz? Um, both.In the northern Rhone area of France, they call it syrah and the wine is more tannic with slightly smoky flavors. The Aussies, however, have embraced shiraz, with a fruity style that is often more approachable to new wine drinkers. Like everything else in the wine world - outside France - there are no hard and fast rules for labeling syrah/shiraz. However, most wine makers will call the more tannic version (often from cooler climates/years) syrah and a fruitier version (often warmer climates/years) shiraz. Now that we've made that completely clear...

Interestingly, we bought this shortly after it was released and it was already in short supply. So, sorry reader(s), you're not going to be bringing a bottle home. But recent vintages are reportedly just as delicious.

Tasting Notes - pre-food: leather and red fruits, nicely balanced with just enough tannin to let you know it's there. An unusually large bouquet for a syrah that held hints of cherries and currents

Tasting Notes - with food: Very interesting. With the mofongo and meatier pieces of pork a sour cherry aspect came out and the tannins softened to almost nonexistent. However, with the fattier pieces of the roast, the tannin was much more intense. It's exciting to drink a wine that changes with every bite of food (which we also think is the sign of a good pairing, if we do say so ourselves).

Color: Deep garnet

Price: Around $30, for current vintages (anyone having a bottle of the 2006 is welcome to share)


Verdict: Friday, though we expected this to be more of a Tuesday wine - most syrah and shiraz are to us - the complexity of this one pushed it well into Friday territory