NZ Syrah: top quality and coming soon!

Syrah looks set to be the next big grape variety coming out of New Zealand, if recent wine competition results are anything to go by. The Reserve Syrah 2005 from Esk Valley Estate in Hawkes Bay stole the show at the country’s annual Royal Easter Wine Show held in Auckland at the end of last month. The Esk Valley red won not only Champion Syrah but also Wine of the Show. In addition, the company’s Gordon Russell was named Winemaker of the Year.

Hawkes Bay is getting a reputation for top-quality wines from this grape and, just to prove it, last year’s Champion Wine in the same prestigious competition was another Syrah from this area. According to Gordon Russell, ‘Hawkes Bay is capable of producing stunning examples of this variety.’

In New Zealand as a whole, Syrah still only represents a tiny percentage of the country’s production but the forecast is for a 20 per cent increase in plantings of this variety this year. Watch out Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir because top-notch New Zealand Syrah could be hot on your heels!