Big bold red wines are something that California has become a bit of a specialist in. Whether that is the powerful Cabs of Napa, the rich and opulent Pinot Noirs of the Russian River Valley or the many juicy Zinfandels found throughout the state, you will not want for power when drinking most Cali reds. But there is one grape that can combine the qualities of all the aforementioned wines. Powerful, rich, juicy...yes, yes, yes! That grape is Petite Sirah.

We think that Petite Sirah can make for an excellent grilling red. Its big fruit driven aromas, combined with a kiss of pepper and a powerful texture make for a wine that is craving meat and can stand up to nearly any type of barbecue spice or rub, just don’t get anything too spicy and you’ll be good to go!

What’s in a name? Well, Petite Sirah can be a bit misleading with its name. It isn’t petit (the berries themselves are quite large) and while it is an offspring of Syrah the spelling got changed somewhere in the mix. In most of the world the grape is typically called Durif, it is named after a French botanist. As far as wine grapes go it is pretty young, only about 160 years old, it is a cross between Syrah and another grape called Peloursin.

The grape spread around the world and pretty early on in its life it reached California, where the sunny, warm and dry climate is nearly the perfect setting to grow the grape well. The Ridge Petite Sirah we’ll taste this week includes fruit from vines planted in 1901! While the grape is grown throughout the state the places it has really become most famous are Lake County, Paso Robles and, where ours is hailing from, Sonoma!