Type: Dry red
Made With: syrah and viognier grapes
Plays Well With: Chili and other hearty fare
Shiraz. Syrah. It’s the same grape, just a different name. The Australians made the shiraz term familiar to us in the U.S., and according to La Motte Winemaker Edmund Terblanche, the South Africans are just as likely to say shiraz as not. Which means the following is going to get a little confusing unless we chose a name and stick with it. And, by gum, we’re sticking with syrah, since we’ll be referring to the grape as it’s known in both France and South Africa.
So the La Motte 07 Shiraz/Viognier is made with only 9 percent viognier, a white grape known for its flowery nose and soft, fruity flavors. It’s an old trick in France’s Rhone Valley to ferment syrah with either some skins from the viognier grape that have already been pressed and made into a white wine, or ferment with the actual viognier grapes. We’re not sure which way Terblanche did it, just that the combination really made this wine come alive.
Usually, viognier smooths out some of the bad boy characteristics of syrah, which can get a little harsh and closed on its own, and in the La Motte wine, the viognier seems to have given the color a nice boost (from a white grape, go figure), not to mention the nose, which is still a little muted and could probably use some exposure to air.
Or, more likely, it could have used some more time in the bottle – since a muted nose can be a symptom of a too young wine. Funny thing is, the tannins – that drying sensation that gives a wine some structure and ability to age – were a little on the light side, meaning it should probably be drunk sooner rather than later.
This should go really well with a nice, beefy chili that’s not too spicy, and a second glass after dinner should prove interesting, assuming the nose opens up. With an easy 13.5 percent alcohol, an after-dinner glass of wine is just right.