Get More from Your Game with Syrah

The arrival of fall means the arrival of hunting season, and although I’ve never been known to hunt for anything other than bargains in the wine aisle, I really enjoy both elk and venison.  Fortunately, someone else in the family spares me the trouble of finding my own, and I always end up with a few packages to enjoy at the end of each season.

Although I occasionally struggle with finding the perfect way to cook game, I never have trouble matching it with the perfect wine.  You won’t either once you know the secret:  syrah.

Like many of the world’s finest and/or most famous grapes, syrah is native to France.  Through the study of syrah’s DNA, scientists discovered that it is actually a cross of two little-known grapes that are also native to France.

Syrah is now grown all over the world, and terrific examples are made into wine not just in France, but also in the United States, South America and Australia (where it is known as “shiraz.”  Don’t let the name difference fool you. They are exactly the same.)  Among serious red-wine drinkers, French syrah is famous, and more specifically, syrah from the Rhone Valley.  The grapes from there make some of the densest, richest, most age-worthy wines in the world. 

People who are serious about wine often talk about or ask each other about their “aha” moment--the moment when they tasted a wine that made them realize this whole “wine thing” had gone past attraction or infatuation and developed into full-blown love.  For me, that moment was when I first tasted the 1994 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape, a lovely red wine from one of the most famous regions in the Southern Rhone Valley.  This wine is a blend of several different grapes, which change from year to year, but syrah is always an important component. 

This wine is proof to me that syrah is special.  But proving that wine is as individual as people, I didn’t exactly get the same reaction when I served it to my husband, who disliked it so much that he refused to finish his glass and accused it of having a “barnyard” flavor. 

That’s one way to describe a typical syrah, I suppose. Syrah varies depending upon the climate and soil in which the grapes that make it are grown, which leads to a wide variety of flavor profiles. Some of the most common include dark berries, black cherries, chocolate, black pepper, licorice, mint, bell pepper, olives, bay leaves, red meat and bacon.  With age, syrah often takes on earthy flavors, including mushrooms, leather or meat.  Since many of these flavors are actually ingredients used in cooking wild game, it should be no surprise that syrah is the logical accompaniment to those same dishes.

One other important characteristic of syrah makes it particularly suited to game:  Syrah is generally high in tannins.  That’s the component of the wine that gives your tongue a rather rough or chalky feel.  Imagine how black tea feels in your mouth; it’s kind of the same thing.  Alone, highly tannic wines can seem harsh in your mouth.  But paired with a piece of meat – especially one that’s not overly done – a tannic wine can work magic.  The two tame each other and together they are more than either of them could ever be alone. 

This season, when those little white packages come back from the butcher, put some pizzazz with your game.  Go down to the grocery store and pick up one of the following under $15 bottles to put with your pan-fried venison, elk chili or other favorite wild game dish.  It will give those traditional recipes a new lease on life, and I can almost guarantee you will have your own “aha” moment.

Columbia Crest Two Vines Shiraz (Washington; about $8).

Smoking Loon Syrah (California; about $9).

Rosemount Shiraz (Australia; about $10).

D’Arenberg Stump Jump Shiraz (Australia; about $10).

Rabbit Ridge Allure (California; about $10).