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The turn of Syrah
After seven reports on the Cypriot wine and a series of useful conclusions, it is time to make some suggestions. As far as the white wine grapes is concerned, my position is clear; one and only variety should be cultivated on the island, that of Xynisteri. I have already explained my reasons for this in a recent report, so there is no need to repeat myself.
The easier I concluded about Xynisteri, the harder I reached the conclusion about Syrah. My decision to propose Syrah as the variety that will help the production of red wines on the island was sense-related easy, but emotionally and strategically extremely difficult. The glass, which is the indisputable witness in the field of wine, asks for Syrah and only Syrah! It calls for Syrah, because the colour, the aroma and taste of the wines of this variety are superior to all other red wines produced by any other wine grapes on the island. It calls for Syrah, because these varietal wines are the only ones that seem to improve within the bottle, while the quality of almost all the rest deteriorates with time.
Despite the clear organoleptic superiority of the variety of Syrah, logic calls for something else. The emotion and the need for long standing strategy call for something else. Logic does not allow me to shout out Syrah, since we have to compete with the ‘monsters’ of Rhône Valley, the ‘bodybuilders’ of Australia and even the precious, famous and weighty Syrah of Chile, Argentine and many other countries of the New World. Emotion does not let me experience the familiarity of Xynisteri, the possessiveness and unlikeness of our own. The irresistible need for laying a vine strategy with identity, authenticity and idiosyncrasy prevent me from showing full faith in Syrah.
However, the innate weakness of the local Mavro to produce quality red wines and the innate dysfunction of Maratheftiko push aside all sentiments and logic and indicate the inevitable: it is the turn of Syrah! It is time for a difficult and crucial decision. It is time to decide, given the weakness of our own inbred varieties, as to where we should turn to. Towards an irregular vinicultural development, where everyone would cultivate anything he likes or towards a composed and strategically oriented course based on an international variety that will produce top quality wines with a brilliant prospective due to its excellent adjustment to the Cypriot terroir?
The dilemma is clear. Do we continue tottering among the harsh and rustic Cabernet, the acidic and full of tannins Merlot, the indifferent, aggressive blends of heteroclite varieties, the low quality Mavro and all other inappropriate ones? Alternatively, do we turn decisively, united and convinced of the righteousness of our policy to a vines model that although it may represent the lesser of two evils, it does not stop it from being our only way out, the only functional and lasting solution? Besides, in this country we are used to moving between the not so bad and the worst.
15/11/2009
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