Syrah or Shiraz? We don’t really care about

The Creekside winery, as winemaker Rob Power ironically puts it, is run by a “disrespectful bunch.” By this he means a group of like-minded professionals from the wine industry who bring an impressive and quirky blend of winemaking know-how as well as sales and marketing know-how. The goal of these buddies is to produce wines that are distinctive, break conventions and bring the unique terroir of the Niagara Peninsula to the bottle.

The Creekside Syrah, the flagship of the young wild winery Creekside, was bottled for the first time in 2002. The winery is considered a pioneer in the cultivation of the cult grape variety in the Niagara region. Some of the highest ratings and awards testify to the expertise that Creekside has gained in the cultivation and production of Syrah. At first, winemaker Rob Power and his team called the wine “Shiraz” because they feared most people wouldn’t be as familiar with “Syrah.” However, since the wines from the Niagara region are located somewhere between France and Australia in character, they changed the name to “Syrah” a few years ago. However, the winemaking style remained unchanged. The vegan-friendly wine was aged for 9 months mainly in used barriques made of French and Hungarian oak. Welcome to The Syrah Evolution, Niagara Style!

And what does the Creekside Syrah taste like?

The Creekside Syrah seduces with very fruity-spicy notes, ripe raspberries with all sorts of spicy notes reminiscent of salami and other sausages. There are also the varietal aromas of black pepper, accompanied by an earthy-undergrowthy touch. On the palate, the fruity first impression continues with wild berries, the tannin is fine-grained, the acidity well integrated. A very harmonious and exquisite wine with a long fruity-spicy aftertaste.