Wairau River Reserve Syrah 2020

£19.95 per bottle

ABV 13%

Tasting Notes
This Syrah is beautifully aromatic with an earthy bouquet. Dark plum and black pepper flavours are interwoven with fresh acidity and subtle oak sophistication. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Food
Meats and exotic spices bring out the fruit notes of Syrah. Try it with Lamb Shawarma, Beef Short Rib, Gyros, Asian 5-spice pork, and even Indian tandoori meats.

Region
Marlborough is by far New Zealand’s largest grape growing region with more than two-thirds of all plantings. First planted in 1873 it is known in the region by the Maori name, Kei puta te Wairau meaning ‘the place with the hole in the cloud’ due to its very high 2,410 sunshine hours a year. High sunshine and a dry growing season help to create the famous intense flavours. Generally, plantings are in two main valleys of Wairau and Awatere. Much of the land is alluvial river basin with well-drained soils that provide an ideal for Sauvignon Blanc and clay slopes better suited Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

Producer
Wairau River wines take their name from the river that runs through the heart of the Marlborough wine region. (Wairau is Maori for `many waters`). The Rose family were pioneers in planting vines in the 1970`s and after originally selling the grapes to other wineries (like Cloudy Bay) they launched their own label in the early 1990`s. Today their foresight has created a very successful company which remains family owned and run. Wairau River is one of the largest independent wine estates in Marlborough, and the range of elegant wines is characteristically expressive of its Marlborough roots.