It truly is the most ridiculous comment and train of thought I hear from Restaurant and Retail Shop Owners as well as from Red Wine Lovers… “I Hate Syrah” Others include: “Syrah doesn’t sell in this state” (Insert State of Choice). “I drink Cabs, Merlots, Bordeaux but don’t give me Syrah”. It was bad enough that I have been hearing from the world that “Washington State Wines Will Not Sell in” (Inert State Of Choice) which I obviously as Captain Washington have proved the opposite in 5 different states and at 10 different venues. Just FYI, to me Syrah is Washington’s number one grape that sets them apart especially from Walla Walla or “The Rocks District on the Oregon side of Walla Walla A.V.A. Yet I have proved all the naysayers including the customers themselves wrong about both comments. I only sold Washington State wines when I was a Restaurant Somm or Wine Director and my number one selling grape varietal was SYRAH. How do I do it? Simple. Since there is such a confusion to people who think ALL expressions of Syrah will be Jammy like the Australian style, I don’t mention 1- If the wine is from Washington State and 2- I never say the word Syrah when offering a sample to a customer who asks for a Big Bold Red Wine with lots of dark flavors and some tannin grip and spice etc. If they say they only drink Napa Cabs as many say that.. I give them a sample I have open and tell them to try this Big Bold Napa Cab! 99% after tasting will say “this is the best Cab I have ever tasted and go on and on raving about how amazing the wine is and THEN i drop the Truth Bomb on them. 1- It is not Napa it is Washington State or Northern Rhone , France and 2- there is not an ounce of CAB in the wine they are loving and raving about but it is 100% Syrah. THIS is the ONLY way to break this horrible predetermination of many wine consumers that they only drink Cabs and Merlots and hate Syrah. It’s all psychological. I am here to make the statement which I via 15 years experience can tell you that it is “impossible to love big bold red wines and yet Hate Syrah” . Don’t make me blindfold all of you Cab Only Drinkers. We just have to break that falsely negative train of thought.
Grape-fully yours, Larry
Larry The Wine Guy 