Holiday Gifts - Washington State Syrah

If you really want to wow your wine loving friends and family give them Syrah from Washington State. Eastern Washington has the perfect climate for growing Syrah that is big and lush, full of pepper, spice, and delicious fruit flavors. Big as these wines can get, they are rarely the jammy, in-your-face, fruitbombs, we sometimes see from other parts of the world.

I'm giving my friends and associates 2003 Rulo "Silo" Syrah. Other wines to look for are: K-Vintner, Terra Blanca, and Basel Cellars. These wines can age for a few years, but I would be careful about keeping Washington State Syrah too long, perhaps no longer than four years. After all, the great fruit flavors are usually at their best early on. If you want to drink prune juice, buy prune juice. It's a lot cheaper.

Other Syrahs to check out: Dunham, McCrea, Canon de Sol, Amavi, Berensen, Isenhauer, L'Ecole, Apex and Dusted Valley. If there are any terroiristes in your crowd, a spectacular gift would be a bottle each of the three vineyard-designated Syrahs produced by Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla.This way the lucky person will be able to taste the differences among different "terroirs" or microclimates since the vintage and winemaker will be the same. Many of the best Syrahs come from Walla Walla wineries, even though some of the best grapes come from the Yakima Valley. Many Walla Walla wineries buy grapes from Yakmia Valley grape growers.

Look for these wines at your local wine shop and better supermarkets( Larry's, Central Market, Metropolitan Market). Or better yet, order online direct from the winery. Just be sure someone over 21 years old will be able to sign for the delivery.