THE NEXT BIG THING

I was reading Jo Diaz’s Juicy Tales this weekend, and she mentions that its Petite Sirah that she feels is the next big thing, contrary to Mr. Laube over at WS who feels it is Syrah. I’d have to agree with her on that point and strongly disagree with James Laube for two reasons:

Reason #1 is that I usually disagree with just about anything Wine Spectator says regardless of what it is about – with very few exceptions – just on principle alone, because I feel they (the magazine) are grossly out of touch with everyday wine consumers. Reason #2 is that Syrah has become a pompous, overpriced grape that seems more content on being exclusionary and less on being a grape of the people. More-often-than-not, the Syrahs – particularly from California – are ridiculously overpriced and do not deliver nearly what they should for the price tag they bare. Petite Sirahs on the other hand, usually overdeliver, and can usually be found at a much cheaper price than their Rhone brethren.

With that in mind, I am going to feature a number of Petite Sirah reviews this month, in the hope that you readers will be more inclined to give these delicious reds a try. It’s probably no coincidence that this month is typically referred to as Petite Sirah month by my purveyors so look for a plethora of great PS’s from all over.

And check out the site P.S. I Love You – a site dedicated to the love and promotion of Petite Sirah.