Petit Sirah Offers Red Wine Drinkers a Big, Full-Bodied Wine

Dark, intense, brooding…what could be the synopsis of a good mystery novel is also a perfect description of today’s wine, petite sirah.

Once used primarily for blending purposes, the petit sirah grape has earned an increasingly loyal following as a stand alone varietal. With its full-body, full-flavors, and high acid and tannin characteristics, this wine not only provides instant enjoyment with a variety of heavy duty foods, it also offers excellent aging potential.

I recently tried a couple of petit sirahs from Washington that I think you’ll enjoy. Each was incredibly complex and flavorful, yet distinctly unique.

First up is the Milbrandt Vineyards 2006 The Estates Petite Sirah (about $25), made from grapes grown in the Wahluke Slope Appellation. This wine is loaded with compact fruit flavors – particularly berry, black currant and ultra-ripe plum – followed by a lingering finish of pomegranate and dried cherries.

Also notable is the Thurston Wolfe 2006 Zephyr Ridge Petite Sirah (about $20) from Prosser. There’s a pleasant touch of clove and allspice on the front end of this wine, some orange zest and concentrated dark fruit flavors in the middle, and ample black pepper and toasty oak on the finish.

The Thurston Wolfe is a bit racier than the Milbrandt, which I think makes it a slightly better candidate for pairing with foods such as duck, steak and roast beef. Nonetheless, these are both terrific wines that most certainly deserve a try.

You’ll find Milbrandt Vineyards wines at Haggen and Fred Meyer stores and they can also be ordered online at www.milbrandtvineyards.com. Purchase Thurston Wolfe wines at www.thurstonwolfe.com, selected Haggen stores, The Vines wine shop, and both locations of the Community Food Co-Op.