Things That Start With "S"

Affectionately dedicated to Deb.

Being a wine lover, I couldn’t resist this topic which originated from a comment on my other website.

Here’s one of my favorite things that starts with “s.”

The rule of thumb for wines labeled “Syrah” or “Shiraz” is this”: Syrah wines tend to be labeled as such because of their similarities to “Old World” examples, Shiraz exhibits more of the “New World” patterns. The same grapes are used in both “elixirs”. The Old World varieties are elegant in texture, restrained in flavor. The New World assortments are presumably riper and fruitier. Even this rule of thumb, however, is not evenly applied. Regardless, winemakers select one name over the other to indicate a stylistic difference in the wine they produce.

The grape, Shiraz, is named after the city Shiraz in Iran where wine making possibly originated some seven thousand years ago. The grapes were believed to have traveled to southern France from this region, but in 1998 a study conducted in California concluded the grape variety’s “roots” stemmed from the vicinity of the Northern Rhone valley in France. The results showed a blend of Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche grapes were the ancestors of this popular “red potion” – a DNA analysis in 2001 mirrored the outcome.

The best manifestations of this wine are aged for decades – however – the younger adaptation may be enjoyed for their red and blueberry characters along with a smooth tannin structure.

Shiraz is often blended with other grape varieties to enhance the embodiment of other wine – such as Merlots, Cabernets, and Grenache.

A wine that is so powerfully flavored and full-bodied, undeniably, enjoys just as rich a history.

One of the Persian legends passed down from generation to generation is just as beguiling and colored as the wine itself.

The following interpretation is acquired from The Gurdies Winery:

“Jamshid, a grape loving king, stored ripe grapes in a cellar so he could enjoy [them] all year long. One day he sent his slaves to fetch him some grapes. When they did not return, he decided to go to the cellar only to find that the carbon dioxide gas emanating from some bruised fermenting grapes had knocked them out.

One of the king’s rejected, distraught mistresses decided to drink this poisoned potion, only to leave the cellar singing and dancing in high spirits. The king realized that this fruity liquid had the wonderful and mysterious power to make sad people happy.

When Alexander overthrew the powerful Persian Empire, he entered Darius’s palace in January 330 BC. During one of the conqueror’s orgies soldiers raided the wine cellars. In a drunken moment, Alexander ordered the destruction of Persepolis.”