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Top 5 Petite Sirah at the LCBO
If I Could Buy Only One – February 20th VINTAGES Release
We asked our writers, “If you could buy only one wine from this release, which one would it be and why?” John Szabo – Fans of pinot noir in the more fruity, supple new world style will want to have a look at the Thelema Mountain Vineyards 2018 Sutherland Pinot Noir. From the Southern Ocean-cooled […] More
Buyers’ Guide to VINTAGES February 20th, 2021
A New World Pinot Noir Primer by David Lawrason, with notes from John Szabo, Michael Godel and Sara d’Amato Long time readers will know I am irresistibly drawn to pinot noir, like a moth to a porch light. Not because it is always divine but because it is always real and intriguing. Its spirit is […] More
D’Amato & Szabo: Wine Thieves – Episode 22
The Cartographer of Montepulciano At some point in every wine lover’s deepening obsession, they fall down the cartographic rabbit hole. If you’ve fallen prey to this map-centric preoccupation, don’t miss this episode of Wine Thieves. John and Sara speak with mapmaker straordinario Alessandro Masnaghetti, founder of Enogea, publisher of the world’s most detailed maps of […] More
National Wine Awards of Canada
Discover Canada's best wines! In 2016, 22 judges tasted 1,535 wines from 230 wineries across the country to identify Canada's top wines.
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World Wine Awards of Canada
Seventeen judges tasted 1,000 wines in 21 categories in 2015 to find the world's best wines sold in Canada under $50.
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Its small berries, and consequently high skin-to-juice ratio, allow Petite Sirah to produce wines with high tannin levels, surprisingly high acidity, and thus the ability to age. Characteristically, these wines have dense blackberry fruit character, mixed with black pepper notes. The grape’s similarity to parent Syrah became confusing for early planters in California. Starting in the 1880s, some of the original Durif vines were confused for a clone of Syrah and subsequently named Petite Sirah. The variety is also found in Mexico, Argentina and Brasil, although the best-known and most successful examples come from California.
