Syrah vs Cabernet in Hawkes Bay

Hawkes Bay Syrah hit the headlines in the early 2000s. Its Rhone-style aromas of black and white pepper, violets and blackberries have since found many fans including yours truly, who like the extra ripeness and purity of New Zealand.

It is the new darling of the wine media and the variety has overshadowed Cabernet/Merlot in recent years. But Syrah’s column inches have been out of proportion to volumes produced here: it makes up just 3% of total plantings in Hawkes Bay while Cabernet and Merlot makes up 34%. Interestingly, Sauvignon Blanc covers 15% of the vineyard area here – and let’s face it, how many articles have you read about Hawkes Sauvignon?

Tony Bish, winemaker at Sacred Hill and a Green Day fan agreed, “There is more media than sales of Syrah at the moment but we are working on that because we like it too.

“Syrah has grown and grown and the accolades are still coming. Some people are planting Syrah with some are taking out Cabernet and Merlot,” he added. But the region still represents 73% of New Zealand’s Cab/Merlot plantings, so it’s not exactly a massive uprising.

What I wanted to know is what will Hawkes Bay focus on in the future as its flagship wine: Bordeaux or the Rhone? Can it do both or is that giving a mixed message? I talked to Rod Easthope, winemaker at Craggy Range and chair of Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association about this and he had some interesting ideas.

“Syrah is making all the noise: the wines are good and distinctive. The wines look like they come from here. People compare it to the Rhone but it has a distinctive character that I don’t see anywhere else.”

“Bordeaux wine relies on blending and oak so you will see a blurring of site-driven characteristics. Syrah more closely reflects its site into taste.

“The flagship should not be a varietal. We have always looked to replicate the classics in our formative years. But we are now getting to the stage where we are confident with our fruit and winemaking. Why not do a Cab/Syrah blend?”

He suggested it to the Association at its last meeting so let’s see if 2010 brings some new blends. It would certainly be a new take on the Aussie classic.

I’ll be attending the Cab/Merlot forum and the Syrah Symposium in Hawkes Bay at the end of January so watch this space for more on this. For more information on these events click here

In my next blog, I’ll take a look at whites in Hawkes Bay.