Secret Syrah in Spain

More and more often I pick up very distinct clues that many Spanish wines have some Syrah added to them. I’m generally talking about more modern style Riojas, Ribera del Dueros, Toros, etc. In the examples I am talking about, the wine makers do not mention that there is syrah, and indeed generally insist that the wine is 100% Tempranillo/Tinto Fino/Tinto de Toro or some traditional blend that does not include Syrah.

I’m I alone in suspecting that Syrah secretly creeping into Spanish wine? I wonder of this is more or less an ";open secret"; among wine lovers is Spain. I suppose that, in many cases, Syrah is not permitted by the DO. In fact, I am very hesitant to identify specific examples of the wines I have in mind because it is very clear that the winemakers deny that they use Syrah.

I certainly do not want Spain to become Australia, but if a little Syrah pushes the wine in the direction the winemaker wants it to go, I personally have no problem with its use. Is this an issue that is discussed in the wine world in Spain?

Walt:

To be honest, I don’t think they’re using Syrah in Rioja, Ribera del Duero or Toro. Tempranillo is good enough for quality wines. Anyway, I believe Mauro are using it successfully (they’re allowed ’cause they don’t belong to any AOC)

Cheers

From the Marques de Griñon:
Enartis ";99. Dominio de Susar (Marqués de Griñón). In the catalogue says that it contains: tempranillo (52 %), syrah (15 %), merlot (18 %) and cabernet sauvignon (15 %). and it is D.O.Ca. Rioja.

They are honest enough to say what is inside the bottle.

I’m certainly not saying that Syrah is a better grape than Tempranillo. I’m saying that they are just different, and I think I can detect the difference. (And, at least as a mono-varietal, I much prefer Tempranillo.)

You raise a good point about Mauro, but I wonder if it does not support my suspicion. Do you really think that nobody in a DO has been tempted to copy Mariano Garcia’s successful use of Syrah?

May be someone is copying Mauro’s use of syrah, but I don’t think this pratice is generally adopted in Ribera del Duero, Rioja, even in Toro.

";Is this an issue that is discussed in the wine world in Spain?";

This is not an issue in spanish wine world. Syrah is present in some wines of Priorat, Utiel-Requena, Jumilla, Valencia, Alicante, Manchuela, Méntrida, Castilla-La Mancha, etc. but I don’t think is so often in Rioja, Ribera or Toro.

From what i know Syrah is not significantly present on Rioja & Ribera del Duero.

But if you are talking of other d.o.’s such as Alicante, Manchuela, Montsant, Jumilla, La Mancha and some others, the thing is different, it is present in many remarkable wines, in proportions that are more tha 30%.

Thanks for these reactions.

I certainly could be wrong, but I believe I could identify at least a few examples of relatively well regarded wines in Rioja, Toro, Ribera del Duero that have some Syrah even though it is not acknowledged publicly. I base this all on taste and smell, but I do know of one winemaker, who, after a night of drinking wine, expressly denied using Syrah . . . but at the time he was deying it he was winking, smiling broadly, and waving his arms like a bad stage actor.

Really, I don’t know if you are wrong, but I promise you something: we are going to share table with many winemakers of Rioja and Ribera del Duero in our next ";III Encuentro Verema, 27-28th February";

http://www.verema.com/opinamos/articulos/articulo.asp?articulo=134

After some glasses of wine I will ask them about syrah in their wines...
We will continue talking about this matter soon...