Varinder's First True Love: Syrah
This month, love is in the air. After all, Valentine’s Day and National Syrah Day are just around the corner!
If you’ve been following us, you’ll remember the tale of Anita and Varinder’s first date. It’s our favorite story to share, especially around this time of year.
Today, we’re rewinding to a time before that fateful first date in 2015. We’re going way back to talk about Varinder’s first true love: SYRAH.
Bold, sexy, dramatic, full-bodied, spicy. It’s all the things one could hope for in a first love.
For Copia, Syrah is much more than a varietal. It is a calling. For Varinder, a twin-sign Gemini through and through, Syrah’s dichotemy, it’s dual nature, is what makes it a muse for him. It’s a wine that punches with power and spicy boldness, and flirts with fruit and florality all at once. This is the varietal that spoke to Anita and Varinder when they first visited Paso Robles Wine Country in 2015. It’s the varietal that continues to be the source of their inspiration, particularly in our flagship wine, The Source. Their love of Syrah inspired them to seek out the best vineyards to produce a collection of singular 100% Syrah wines. Learn more.
MORE ON SYRAH
Originating in the Rhone Valley of France, Syrah brings with it a rich, sometimes meaty expression. It is the most widely planted varietal in Australia where they call it Shiraz. Here in Paso Robles, Syrah has been crowned the king, and for good reason. The calcareous soil types in Paso Robles are rare in the rest of California — especially the limestone containing ancient seabeds found in our own Willow Creek and Adelaida Estates. While the soil stresses the vines (in a good way), the breeze off of the Pacific Ocean work to moderate our daytime heat. Cool mornings and nights (diurnal temperature shift) allow for the grapes to hang onto their acidity and aromatics. Our long growing season coupled with all of these growing conditions make for some of the finest examples of Syrah in the world. We feel lucky and proud to be stewards of a land that can reflect such a unique sense of place for our Syrah.
Syrah’s broody black color in the glass only foreshadows all of its complexity and nuance.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SYRAH
FRUIT
“Black and blue.” Juicy blackberry and blueberry aroma on the nose.
FLORAL AND HERB
Herbes de Provence (fennel, lavender, thyme), violet.
SAVORY, SPICE AND MORE
Black olive, peppercorn (green and black), clove, bacon fat, chocolate, smoke, tobacco.
TEXTURE
One of the most full-bodied red wines in the world, it coats the palate and has a beautiful silky mouthfeel.
FOOD PAIRING
Syrah pairs well with bold foods like grilled lamb chops, goat curry, game meat and prawn paella, a peppery barbeque or a cheeseburger. Try pairing it with dishes that contain Herbes de Provence, or aged cheeses like a 5-year Gouda.