British Columbia Syrah: Canada’s rising star

‘Why don’t you grow coconuts?’ This was the taunt Alex Nichol received when he planted Syrah on the Okanagan’s Naramata Bench. They were the first Syrah vines in Canada. It was 1991 and at the time British Columbia counted only 20 wineries, compared to almost 300 today.

For years, Nichol Vineyard remained an anomaly until viticulturist Richard Cleave laid the groundwork for expansion. Cleave, who started working in the Okanagan Valley in the 1970s, was instrumental in transitioning the industry from hybrid grapes to vinifera.

In 1996, when planting his own vineyard, Phantom Creek, Cleave was warned against Syrah. He swiftly accepted the challenge. The vineyard became a source for Sandhill Winery’s Small Lots program and gained renown through bottlings from winemaker Howard Soon. Cleave went on to establish Syrah vineyards for notable producers like Burrowing Owl, Mission Hill and Jackson-Triggs.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 15 top British Columbia Syrah wines

Today, Syrah deserves its reputation as one of British Columbia’s most exciting varieties. However, it represents only 9% of planted red grapes – behind Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

With just 223ha of BC’s 4,486ha, Syrah plantings in the province are almost double that of Hermitage in the Rhône, but significantly less than Côte-Rôtie. Most are scattered throughout the southern Okanagan, the province’s main wine zone.

Protected from wet weather by the Coastal Mountain Range, the Okanagan Valley has continental, desert-like conditions. As it sits north of the 49th parallel, the region sees long days in the height of summer. Diurnal swings are dramatic, with temperatures sometimes soaring to more than 40°C in the day and dropping by as much as 30°C at night.

But the growing season is short. ‘We have a month and a half less than the Languedoc, but we are still able to ripen Syrah,’ says Severine Pinte, winemaker at Le Vieux Pin. She cites the sufficient heat, the intense light and the cool nights which preserve natural acidity as the keys to Syrah’s success here.

As the Okanagan stretches north, it becomes progressively cooler. Vineyards flank both sides of the lakes and rivers that string their way up the valley. As Syrah needs heat, it is restricted to the southern reaches, predominantly on east benches and warmer pockets of the western side.

‘The terroir is very important,’ says Cleave. ‘You need everything in your favour.’ Besides a hot, predominantly south- or west-facing site, he looks for dense, coarse, rocky soils and light, quick-draining sand. ‘You can’t have too much clay because you have to control Syrah’s natural vigour.’

Osoyoos and the Okanagan benches

Boasting the Okanagan’s greatest number of growing degree-days, the area of Osoyoos is the epicentre for late-ripening reds. Nestled just above the US border, it is the northern tip of the Sonoran Desert featuring desert brush, rattlesnakes and deep sandy soil.

According to Cleave, the sweet spot is the Black Sage Bench which extends along the eastern bank of the Okanagan River towards the town of Oliver. ‘That is where all of the best Syrahs come from,’ he claims. Renowned wineries such as Black Hills, Burrowing Owl and Phantom Creek are located here.

Across from Black Sage Bench, the Golden Mile Bench is on the west side of the valley. The vineyards enjoy both gentle morning sun and late afternoon shade, making for an overall cooler microclimate. Nevertheless, sites on warm soils of coarse sand and gravel do well with Syrah.

Continuing north, the Skaha Bench and Naramata Bench are on the eastern side of the valley. The vineyards here see an extra two hours of sun compared to vineyards on the west.

Even so, ‘Naramata is the northern limit of where you can ripen Syrah well,’ asserts Lyndsay O’Rourke, owner and winemaker at Tightrope. Achieving desired ripeness can be a struggle in cool years. Appropriate sites are limited to south- and west-facing slopes at higher elevations, where the soil is volcanic granite rather than silty clay.

South into Similkameen

Adjacent to the southern Okanagan Valley, the Similkameen Valley is a separate region of BC. Conditions are similarly arid and hot during the summer, however, as there are no lakes to moderate, the climate is more extreme. Looming mountains throw shade and a fierce wind that picks up in the late afternoon which locals compare to France’s Mistral.

‘Syrah is a star here,’ says John Weber at Orofino. He points specifically to the south- to west-facing upper benches on stony alluvial soil where Syrah can reach a high degree of ripeness. ‘The hallmark of our Syrah is these nice, long, supple tannins.’

Even in the most favourable spots, Syrah is not without challenges. Sensitivity to winter freeze was initially a concern. However Ross Hackworth, who purchased Nichol Vineyard in 2004, doesn’t see this as a Syrah-specific issue. ‘If it is -21°C for a few consecutive days, everything is going to pack it in,’ he declares.

Nevertheless, Syrah plants are dying prematurely. Scientists have identified the problem as Syrah Decline, a condition in which sap flow is disrupted, weakening the vine. ‘We see it in 17- to 18-year-old plants but what dies off is sporadic,’ says Hackworth. He estimates a cumulative loss of 20% to 25% of Nichol’s original 1991 vines.

The illness is linked to clones – and the original two that were available in BC are predisposed. Since then more clones have been approved, though access to quality grapevine material continues to be an issue.

British Columbia Syrah styles

Making Syrah in British Columbia is an expensive proposition. It is BC’s costliest variety, averaging CAD$3,555 per tonne in 2019 ($2,785/€2,460/£2,065). Furthermore, for the grapes to reach full ripeness before temperatures drop, yields must be kept low.

‘Our yields are close to what they would get in Gigondas – about 35hl/ha to 40hl/ha,’ reveals Pinte. ‘Once you reach 60hl/ha, you lack the time to get the grapes to ripen.’

Challenges and prices aside, BC Syrah is gaining traction. The wines harness the intensity of the region with exuberantly pure aromas, lush fruit and bright acidity. In general, they are more enthusiastically fruity and punchier than their French counterparts while less ripe and rich than classic warm-climate Shiraz from, for example, South Africa or Australia’s Barossa Valley.

That said, styles vary due to diverse winemaking approaches. Co-fermentation with Viognier and whole-bunch ferments are popular, and experimentation with amphorae is on the rise. Most age in barrel, ranging from neutral vessels to varying degrees of new wood, while several see a combination of French and American oak.

Vintage variation is equally significant. I recently tried 50 wines mostly from the 2018 and 2019 vintages. Both were challenging years but very different and I’ve selected my top 15 below.

Vintage comparison: 2018 and 2019

Significant forest fires hampered the 2018 growing season – an escalating problem in BC. Where they break out and when during the growing season determine which wines might be affected. Certainly some of the 2018s were suggestive of smoke taint, though Syrah seems to be fairly forgiving and there are plenty of intriguing examples.

Fortunately forest fires did not break out in 2019. Conversely, it was a cool year and unusually wet through September. Nonetheless, warmer sites were not lacking in sugar ripeness. Overall, the wines are quite lean, racy and elegant – some even Northern Rhône-like. Less successful wines imposed too much oak, detracting from the perfume and fruit. The same is true of the 2018s.

All told, I remain convinced of British Columbia’s potential for unique, characterful Syrah that speaks of a specific place. Those brave early adopters have been completely vindicated.

British Columbia Syrah: 15 top wines from Okanagan and Similkameen

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