Syrah is seeming to suffer a little bit of a let down in interest by the consumer these days. At first I thought it was just a local thing at the store. Then I read an article on the new Stephen Tanzer web-site that addressed the very issue of declining Syrah sales in the United States. I am saddened to see this happening for a number of reasons, the main one being that syrah is an awesome varietal and has so much potential. It shows it best expression in the Rhone valley, in particular northern Rhone with Hermitage, Cote-Rotie, Cornas and Saint-Joseph the reds made exclusively with the syrah grape. The other region where it shows its outstanding nature and qualities is in Washington State. In fact you could say for the sake of argument that it is in it’s infancy stage in Washington. We have yet to see what it is able to do in this state which is on the same latitude as the Rhone Valley. There are a number of schools out on why the decline in syrah sales. I can appreciate why northern Rhone wines may be suffering a decline considering the condition of the worldwide economy. Many of the reds from the northern Rhone go for a substantial amount of money. It is hard to find a Hermitage for under forty bucks. Also, you’re average consumer does not realize that these wines are 100% syrah, which is always a problem with french wines. Ask a room of four hundred people who are wine drinkers which grape or grapes are used in Hermitage, Cote-Rotie or Saint-Joseph and I think you would not be shocked if only five or so knew the answer. That is just the way it is with wines that do not have the varietal name on the label. Who wants to take the time to find that stuff out? Only wine geeks like myself. (Please do not feel sorry for me.... It’s an incurable disease)

The price point is not the issue with Washington or even California syrah. You can get some pretty good stuff for under thirty or even twenty bucks. I recently had great success with Cline California syrah at the store which retailed for around ten bucks. Not only was the price good, it was a decent if not good wine with soft tannins, boysenberry and plum notes with a silky smooth finish. Price point is always a driving force for wine sales and syrah many times, especially domestic boasts a really good value. So why the decline in interest for this varietal.

Stephen Tanzers web-site took a stab at it pointing out that many consumers are unsure about syrah. When they get a chance to taste it they love it, when it comes time to purchase a bottle they go to old familiar varietals such as merlot, cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir. Because I love syrah so much, it is hard for me to understand this reticence to experiment with different styles of this wine. I think this is a good point. Many consumers have trouble stretching their horizons when it comes to wine, especially if you are investing more then twenty bucks. I also think a contributing factor is the way in which the wine guys like myself describe syrah. People have a hard time wrapping their mind around such descriptors as bacon fat, smokey and silky viscosity. I have had several conversations with customers who are thrown off by these terms. I try to help them understand the concept of bacon fat and succeed from time to time. Other times I see the decision switch go to off and no matter what I say they walk away from a syrah purchase. Can we sugar coat a descriptor to help the consumer make a decision. The answer to that is yes, if we as wine stewards are not interested in educating our customers. I only avoid the smoke and bacon fat adjectives if it is not in the wine. I want my customer to understand those terms and come to grips with them so that when they see it in the future they will know what they are in for. This not only educates the consumer, it helps in long term wine sales.

The other explanation to declining syrah sales and one that I believe is the real reason is Australian shiraz, especially the Yellow Tail and Lindeman’s version of this wine. I would be willing to wager money that it took wine stewards like myself a good five plus years to convince consumers that syrah and shiraz were the same grape. We finally succeeded and at the same time, folks were getting tired of the coca cola fruit forward style of Australian shiraz. This of course crossed over into domestic and french syrah sales. Now, we have our work cut out for us. How do we go about explaining to our customer that although shiraz and syrah are the same grape, they are produced in a very different style in France and the U.S. Australian wine sales have gone in the tank and I believe this is because they have pigeon-holed themselves into the cheap shiraz category and the consumer is tired of this. At the same time it has taken a few victims with it, in particular domestic syrah sales. This my friends is a sad consequence and one that needs to be changed. Syrah has to be one of the most versatile food wines you can find. A great match with a number of foods such as ham, grilled beef, casseroles, stews, lamb, and duck. Also, a great solo wine. Unlike the Australian version, Washington and California syrah can go from soft and fruity to earthy and intense with good acidity and fruit balance. I have yet to find a domestic syrah that even comes close to the Australian cheap shiraz version. To digress for just a moment, I have nothing against Yellow Tail or Lindemans or Jacobs Creek shiraz. They  are great cross-over wines. A great way to get white wine drinkers to break into reds. It’s soft fruity and easy to drink. Heck, I even find myself craving a tootie fruity Australian shiraz from time to time. That being said, I do not see a quick return by the consumer to this style of wine in a big way any time soon.

I am committed to helping the consumer realize the quality and versatility of domestic syrah, in particular Washington syrah. I am dedicating the month of May to syrah. I will recommend it, drink it and do my best to feature and sell it at my store. I will tweet about it and make it a subject for my wine group on facebook. All I ask is for your cooperation in this effort. Make it a point to educate your palate. Try a different syrah at least a couple of times a month. I know you will find that you have been missing out on a great wine. I also know that there are many of you out there that already love syrah. Spread the word, and help me get syrah sales headed in the right direction. Here’s to keeping it real. Stan The Wine Man.

A lot of us could give a flying rat’s (you know what) about the globalization of wine. Many of us probably have never even taken the time to understand what that term means although if given just a little thought it wouldn’t take any of us long to figure it out. Robert Parker Jr. has been accused of being a major contributor to it along with the sharing of wine techniques all over the globe and the onslaught of globe- trotting wine makers and consultants such as Michel Rolland and Richard Smart. There have been many an article written about the fear that wine is becoming homogenous worldwide. The wine you get in France is the same as the wine you get in California, Washington, Italy, Spain, etc. etc. You get the picture. Many feel that because Parker has become so powerful and his scores have such a great influence on the sales of wine, that wineries around the world build their wines to fit his palate. The other angle is that the globetrotting wine consultants such as Rolland bring their techniques to so many wineries that in essence they all have the same concept on how to make wine and the same style. This all makes for interesting prose but is it true or just interesting debate? Are we so gullible as consumers that we will allow someone else to tell us what we should or should not like when it comes to wine? It would be foolish to deny the influence that Parker has. Many folks although fewer now then ten years ago look to his scores as a tried and true guideline to purchasing wine. If the Wine Advocate gives a wine the score of 94 points it is more then likely going to be very good. I am not sure if anyone cares that Michel Rolland was a consultant at a winery or not and if they could even identify his style. I do know that he was the winemaker for a merlot known as Pedestal which is part of the Long Shadows Winery headed up by Allen Shoup. To be blunt, I hated this wine and thought it was severely over-priced. Again, it would be ignorant of me to say that he has no impact on the wine world. Wineries all over the globe pay him big bucks for his direction and advice including the famous winery Screaming Eagle. He has the creds as we may say. But I am looking at things from a consumers standpoint.

To put this in the perspective of where I am coming from, let’s take macaroni and cheese as an example. In an upcoming tasting event I am going to have a line-up of best wines with mac & cheese. I will have a mac & cheese cook-off. Now most of us might think that you cannot do much with a mac & cheese recipe. Most of them have been shared around the world and most of them must taste fairly close to the same. Try to say that to someone and you will find yourself in the midst of a heated debate! Everyone has their favorite recipe and certainly theirs must be the best. You should hear some of the recipes that have been shared with me. I did not know there could be such a wide variety of ideas for such an age-old dish. The same is true of wine. No matter how hard someone may try to make a wine a certain way, there are a zillion folks out there who like it better another way. We cannot get around individuality. For every Robert Parker Jr. there is a Peter Parker or a Sally Jones. To say that every Cabernet Sauvignon is the same in France, Washington, California, Argentina and Australia as far as style and flavor profile goes is to say that every mac & cheese recipe is essentially the same in flavor profile and style in every household. Ridiculous. I agree. It does have to be said that we have gone through a period of time in which big bombastic, fruit forward reds were quite popular. Just as big buttery, oaky chardonnay were popular in the nineties. But like everything in wine, times are changing and folks are branching out in their knowledge of wines and their palates. Thanks to the plethora of blogs and the new wine critics of wine critics out there people are being exposed to new ideas and approaches to wine. The big fruit forward, high alcohol wines that Parker likes are no longer as popular with the consumer. I have found that many folks yearn for the earthy style reds of Rioja and some of the smaller producers of Bordeaux. Cabernet Franc which is known for it’s leaner style and herbaciousness is suddenly becoming one of the more sought after varietals. Will wine swing back to the style of the eighties for reds and the nineties for chardonnay? Time will tell. What has become obvious is that critics like Robert Parker Jr. are losing their grip on the consumer. As information comes to light about Parker and his associates practices, how his scores are jaded by his palate and what he likes, the consumer becomes wary of his direction. I personally have deep respect for what Parker has done and what he knows. The man has earned his stripes. But I do not believe that he is the definitive authority on what we should or should not like about wine. He is entitled to his opinion just as you are entitled to yours.

The wine world will always be interesting and varied. To say that wine will become homogenous because of globalization is like saying someday everyone on the earth is going to love broccoli because a famous author endorses it as the ultimate cure for mankind. I am sorry to inform you that people in general are not that easy to influence. Jesus Christ, one of the most influential humans in history could not turn everyone over to Christianity. The globalization of wine is a fun topic to discuss over a fine bottle of wine, but I am not sure if you should take it all that seriously. Never forget the power of the consumer to change things.. including trends in wine, the future of a critic or how winemakers approach their craft. I am excited to see so many individuals stretching their horizons in wine knowledge and understanding. Educating their palates to enjoy a variety of wines and appreciating their intrinsic qualities. I see folks going back to chardonnay after a decade of turning their backs on it. I see a great interest in varietals that were not abundantly available even five years ago. Mouvedre, Vermentino, Ugni Blanc, Grenache, Cab Franc, Gruner Veltliner, Counoise and many others. Rose has become more and more popular in the States as consumers educate their palate to enjoy this fine dry pink wine that is not white zindandel. We are almost past the ripe wine stage and on to other things. The only thing global about wine these days is the populations appreciation for wine and the wonderful world it opens up.