My top 20 South American Syrahs

Is Syrah wine’s greatest chameleon? There are certainly few other varieties in South America that give us such a great illustration of the continent’s diverse wine regions and myriad styles.

Chile is undoubtedly the home of South America’s best Syrah wines, even though Argentina has much more of it planted, at 11,500ha (INV data to December 2021) compared with Chile’s 6,755ha (SAG, 2021). Chile’s plethora of cool climates along the coast certainly gives it the edge in the South American Syrah scene.

Scroll down to see Amanda Barnes’ tasting notes and scores for 20 stunning South American Syrahs

If there’s one Syrah producer I would tell you to hunt down, it’s Matetic.

From its biodynamic vineyards on the granite coastal hills of Casablanca and San Antonio, the wines throughout the range (starting with Corralillo, the 2018 currently £15.15 at Vinvm) overdeliver on the price point. They ooze confidence with this variety, which can be done so well in this part of coastal Chile.

Crossing Continents

But you’ll also find good coastal Syrah throughout Chile, spanning the saline wines of the Atacama desert and austere wines from chalky Limarí in the north down to the rich intensity of Colchagua’s dry-farmed coast south of Santiago.

Further east, Uruguay’s coast, too, has some gems, including Alto de la Ballena’s Cetus Syrah from its schist slopes in Maldonado, Pisano’s structured Syrah from Canelones and Bracco Bosca’s refreshing Syrah aged in amphorae.

Sadly none of them makes it into the UK yet. That’s also the story with a lot of Brazil’s better Syrah from the higher altitude regions of Serra da Mantiqueira, where the winter harvest offers a cooler, more concentrated expression.

Argentina’s best Syrah wines all play with altitude, too. Skirting the Andes, and due west of Córdoba, San Juan may be Argentina’s powerhouse of Syrah, but you need to move up into the foothills to get beyond the bottomless ocean of quaffing wine there.

Similarly, the most exciting Syrah wines from Mendoza, a short way south from San Juan, are at high altitude in the Uco Valley, and from Salta, way up in Argentina’s north, they are found at the heights of the Calchaquí valleys.

Chile’s high-altitude wine regions also offer some impressive Syrah highlights. Syrah from northerly Elqui is particularly notable, where savoury notes of smoked meat, black olive and spices abound.

The more opulent and perfumed styles of the valley floors of central Chile are still prevalent, but there’s a greater diversity of more refreshing, juicier styles that come to the fore, too – especially at the value end of the scale.

South American Syrah is definitely one of the most engaging categories to take a dive into, even if its pool in the international market is still limited.

Considering that the continent has only been taking Syrah seriously for barely a decade, there’s impressive ageability, personality and diversity to be found within this young chameleonic variety.

I’m sure we’ll see more innovation, especially in Syrah blends, in the years to come; though for now, there’s already plenty to indulge your inner Syrah geek!

See 20 top South American Syrahs

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