Syrah Pays d’Oc IGP 2022/2023 Organic Wine Carabiniers

Nutritional information per 100 ml

Contains negligible amounts of fat, saturates, protein and salt.

Syrah

Syrah undoubtedly comes from France. Its resemblance to the name of the ancient Persian city of Shiraz in present-day Iran gave rise to a legend that crusaders brought the grape back from their raids. Scientists disproved this in 2000, when DNA analysis showed its parents, red Dureza and white Mondeuse Blanche, to be thoroughly French. From France, this sun-loving yet undemanding vine found its way around the world. Today, winegrowers cultivate it in Australia, South Africa, California, Chile, Argentina and Sicily, for example, although overseas it often goes by Shiraz. Syrah or Shiraz wines are weighty and fruit-led, with characteristic berry and chocolate aromas. Yet the wines differ in more than spelling. Australian grapes in the McLaren Valley, for example, have a good 450 mm of rainfall, while French vines on the Rhône enjoy 834 mm. Hardly fair, considering Australia's average temperature is also a good 5 °C higher. Different climate, different soil and different cellar techniques: long maceration periods, customary in France, produce tannin-rich wines that remain drinkable for a long time if stored well. Down Under, the emphasis is on rapid completion of fermentation and oak ageing, producing fruit-led, intensely aromatic wines scented with vanilla and chocolate.

2022 vintage

Silver Millésime Bio 2023

A real tip for value and quality: an honest Syrah from the Rhône Valley, clean and fruity, traditional yet with appealing density.

Carabiniers

Domaine des Carabiniers lies north of Avignon, where the Rhône’s alluvial plain gives way to the hillier hinterland. Alongside Côtes-du-Rhône, we find the appellations Tavel and Lirac here, less familiar to us but highly regarded in France. The estate covers an impressive 48ha, organically cultivated since 1998. The wines are very traditional, which for the whites and rosés means a little heavy for our German tastes. We appreciate the rich reds all the more: thanks to gnarled vines averaging 35 years old, they are complex and layered.