Life Style / Wine Grapes / Syrah: A grape variety associated with the Rhone Valley region of France, famous for creating 'Hermitage' red wine. Recent research (reported 27 June '01) has determined that the parents of this variety are most likely to be Mondeuse Blanche x Dureza. In southern France some regard the grape as taking two forms, the Grosse Syrah and Petite Syrah, distinguished only by berry size. Experts reject this distinction but it has in the past led some wine producers in North and South America to mistake California vineyard plantings of Petite Sirah, which produces a very dark red and tannic wine judged simple in comparison to the true Rhone Syrah, as the latter grape. DNA analysis has now shown (Meredith C.P., et al., 'Am. J. Enol. Vitic.' 50(3): 236-42 1999) there is in fact a probable cross-variety relationship. Local lore has it that a (presumed) clone 877 of N. Rhone provenance, once known as the Scyras, was grown very successfully in cooler regions of Australia and now is known as the popular Shiraz variety. It should be noted that French grower reports indicate that the variety shows poor compatibility with the commonly used lime-tolerant 110R rootstock. In the state of California, depending on location, vintage or fermentation technique, the variety is used to either produce a spicy, complex wine or a simple wine. Considerable acreage is grown in South Africa, and also in Argentina where it has historically been called the Balsamina variety until the late 1960's.
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Lifestyle / Wine Grapes / Duras: Minor grape grown in the Gaillac AC northeast of Toulouse, France. Has several synonym names including Cabernet Duras and Durade. Used to create red and rose' blended wines made from such varieties as MORE
Lifestyle / Wine Grapes / Durif: Has several synonym names including Duriff and Pinot de l'Ermitage. Well known variety grown in France, California and Australia. A recent DNA analysis report (Meredith C.P., et al., 'Am. J. Enol. Vit MORE
Life Style / Wine / Cépage Améliorateur (France): An "improving variety", as this translates, is one encouraged for viticulture in order to improve the quality of a region's wines. In the Languedoc the term refers to varieties such as Mourv?dre, Syra MORE