My Search for Petite Sirah Wines

Petite Sirah is one of my consistently favorite wine varietals. The grape is small compared to most other wine grapes. As a result it has noticeable tannins with a nice fruity flavor and is commonly used in blends. Increasingly some California producers in the Napa Valley such as Stags' Leap are bottling it on its own and getting noticed by Wine Spectator and others with some decent ratings. Why?

First, let's get clear up its good name. This wine suffers a slight identity problem. Although the grape varieties are related, it is not
• Shiraz or
• Syrah

As a wine lover I’ve tried lots of different types to drink and love them all. Sweet wines, white wines, reds, Champagne, port, you name and I like it. My favorite? Ah, Petite Sirah. Most wine shops have less than a dozen different bottles of it on hand and you have to hunt around to find specific a specific label but it is worth effort. The most commonly found are Bogle, EOS, Foppiano and Concannon. My favorite is Mcmanis.

For a cheapskate like me, or the budget conscious wine buyer, Petite Sirah is a delight because the value is terrific. You can get a great bottle of wine for around $10. Even the relatively expensive Stags' Leap is less than $40. Compared to many other reds you can get a lot of quality for your dollar.

Have you ever made a point to try it? Don’t worry, before seeing the movie Sideways, I had never made a big deal about Pinot Noir and I always have greatly enjoyed Merlot. After seeing the movie I participated in several Pinot Noir tastings and those wines can be very special. Certainly I understand them better.

My search for Petite Sirah at the store always seems to lead elsewhere. The problem, to me at least, is their good intentions and inspiration lead them off to another section of the store while they enthusiastically tell about another type of wine. Those wines do sound rather good but...Sticking with my goal I say, “That wine sounds good but this time I really want to explore the Petite Sirah wines only.”

My advice obviously is to try a bottle or two of dark red wine and serve some with your dinner tonight. You will be glad you did. The next time you visit your favorite wine shop try asking for it because it is a wine worth finding.

Related Articles

Beginners Wine Guide
New to the world of wine drinking or pairing with food? You may be looking for a beginners wine guide for red wine pairing.

Wine Calories
There has been a great amount of interest in determining wine calories and their differences among red, white, and sweet red wine.

Basic Wine Information
High quality, accurate basic wine information. Resource for free wine information about the name of California, Italian, French, and Spanish wines, is hard to come by.

Removing Red Wine Stains
Remove red wine stain from a carpet or clothing the best way. The red wine stain removal can be a source of frustration. Remove using white wine, vinegar or cleanser.

Wine Guide
A wine guide to choose the best wine club to join like a wine of the month club. They are a unique gift item, a discount can make them cheap, and membership is actually a lot of fun.

Click here to leave Petite Sirah and return to Beginners Wine Guide.