Now that Thanksgiving is behind us and the December holidays are ahead of us, but not so close that I'm feeling the panic of unbought presents and unmade cookies and undecorated house, it's time to talk about a wine that was tailor-made for this "down" week before the holiday frenzy begins, when you still have time for a bit of pre-bed reading or TV-watching while snuggled into a cozy chair with a blanket tucked around your legs. The wine is, of course, Syrah, or Shiraz, as it's known in Australia.

It used to be that you could draw at least a loose demarcation between the two styles. Syrah, originally from France with its most notable examples coming from the Northern Rhone, is more a rough-and-tumble wine: wild, spicy, and requiring age and food to appreciate its greatness. Shiraz, by contrast, is almost Port-like with its richness and velvety chocolate undertones.

Lately the lines between the two have become increasingly blurred, with more New World wines labeled "Syrah" that taste more of "Shiraz" and some vice versa, so it's harder to choose which you're in the mood for based on the label alone.

Continue reading "Syrah/Shiraz - Wine of the Week" after the jump.

I actually love both types, depending on my mood and what (or whether) I'm cooking, and both types are perfect December wines. But why? The wine is a deep, dark, brooder, complete with knit bushy eyebrows pondering the weight of the world, perfect for sipping, for contemplation, for rumination. It warms you in the cold months and matches perfectly with hearty winter stews, pot roast, and other comfort foods.The Shiraz style, drunk alone, makes an excellent end to a meal.

I've had a couple of Syrahs recently that straddle the line between Syrah and Shiraz. The first was the 2003 Bonny Doon Syrah "Le Pousseur" made by the quirky Randall Grahm. (The bottle, touting screw caps, features a label that says, "Remember to screw.") The wine was more Syrah-like than Shiraz-like, lighter in body than a rich, heavy Shiraz, spicy with a little tobacco flavor, perfect with our hamburger lentil stew.

The second was another California Syrah, but this one was more Shiraz-like: the 2005 Michael David "Sixth Sense" Syrah was deliciously rich, but not sickeningly sweet, like eating a bite-size bittersweet chocolate truffle instead of a milk chocolate slab. I liked it better solo than with food, and I drank a glass after my kids were in bed and I was blissfully alone with my novel.

Just as with any other wine, there are plenty of terrible Syrahs/Shirazes out there, but there are also lots of values. Both wines above retail for $17, but I've had plenty of delicious examples closer to $10. You can especially find value in the Shiraz category for that price point, such as the Black Wing Shiraz from Australia.

Do you like Syrah or Shiraz better, or are they both great (or terrible) in your book?