When we think about Oregon wine country, we often think of the Willamette Valley, a cooler region on the west side of the Cascades that often has gray skies, often a bit of rain. A climate perfect for Pinot Noir, the red grape of France’s Burgundy region.
What we don’t immediately think of is Syrah, a warm climate grape that is better suited in the warm and arid Columbia Valley, Australia and California’s Central Coast. Yet about 20 years ago, we began to see Oregon wineries work with Syrah. Part of this was to produce a wine more robust than Pinot Noir, a wine to appeal to a broader base of consumers. Also, winemakers seem to enjoy a challenge, and making Syrah can provide challenges and offers stylistic interpretations.