Are Syrah and Petite Sirah the same Wines?
Petite Sirah, also known as durif, is often used as a blending grape and, although it is not commonly bottled as a single-grape varietal, when it is it creates a unique, bold and interesting wine. It has a dense, inky quality with intense black fruit flavors. In fact, there isn’t much about it I would describe as petite. If you like big, intense red wines, you will like Petite Sirah. The Syrah grape, however, is more frequently used to make single-grape-variety wine and creates a more moderately powerful wine compared to Petite Sirah. There is a distant DNA connection between the two grapes, but they are generally regarded as two different and distinct grapes. Syrah’s true home is acknowledged to be a region of France called the Northern Rhône. It is in the lower eastern section of the country and it is defined by the north-south running Rhône River. The most famous French wine from this region that is made from Syrah is called Hermitage and the style represents Syrah’s potential as
