Stolpman Syrah, 2007, Santa Ynez Valley, California

Syrah. Inky bliss. I used to work with this wine-guru server who told me the Syrah grape was brought back to France from the Holy Land by disillusioned Crusaders who went to meditate on their sins in the Northern Rhone. Hermits. Hermitage. Etcetera. I've never been able to confirm this story, which is the perfect kind of story for a server. One founded on a romantic interpretation of a secondhand history. Horticultural archaeology aside, drinking Syrah can be an epic experience. Hedonistic even. Like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc it is grown around the world to quite different ends. But speaking generally (too general), syrah or shiraz is defined by ripe rushes of black fruit, pepper, smoke, high levels of alcohol and tannins that rarely (perhaps only in the Northern Rhone) punish the palate like Cabernet Sauvignon can.

Crios, Torrontes, 2009, Argentina

I've been accused of holding a pretty open grudge against the white wines of the world. Okay, considering that the first four wines featured in this blog have been red, I'll concede the point. Or at least I'll concede the basis for some basic confusion. I'd argue that the one-sided selection process has more to do with the weather in Canada during the months of December through March. A harsh meteorological reality. One that lends itself to braised shanks, oven-roasted birds, fall-off the bone stews consisting of noble hoofed beasts. And meat goes with red wine. Or does it? Jancis Robinson says, "it is body that matters more than colour." I'm interested.

Clos de L'Obac, 2004, Priorat

Gratallops is a Catalan village at the heart of Priorat. L'Ermita by Alvaro Palacios, Clos Mogador by Rene Barbier and Clos de L'Obac by Charles Pestrana are some of the heavy hitting vintages that have made the likes of Robert Parker do bare knuckle push-ups in the middle of the night from sheer anticipation. Priorat is a beautiful place with steep terraced vineyards that fold and buckle up to this mountain-top town. Gratallops is a bit sleepy in the wintertime but what are you going to do? Drink wine and invade the vines of these world-class winemakers is what I did last February. [...]