The 2013 Suvla Syrah
It’s funny how I never notice that I rarely cook meat at home; until Lent comes and then every Friday it’s an absolute trial. Much like living in Turkey with limited access to pork. I’d cook up some bacon every once in a while in the States but it was pretty rare for me to make pork dishes; but now that it’s difficult to get it’s all I can think of. I’m using my meatless Fridays to experiment with new vegetarian dishes-and pairing wines with them, of course!
I wanted to let the Suvla Syrah breathe a bit (I recommend one-ish hour) so I opened it while the onions for my goat cheese tart were caramelizing in the oven. I think letting it breathe helped. By the time the tarts (goat cheese, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and sun dried tomatoes) were finished, the Syrah had opened nicely, allowing us to enjoy the dry fruits in the nose.
My friends, E&M, are “wine is wine” kind of people. They can tell the difference between bad, ok, and good wine but don’t believe in my 
“life is too short to drink bad wine” life policy and are happy drinking whatever. So while I’m sniffing and swirling, holding my glass up to the light, and trying to identify flavors I’m also being gently teased. E. thought that the Syrah’s nose was “butterflies and Carebears” whereas M.’s opinion was a simple but decisive “definitely wine.”
Once they were done with their rather off the mark descriptions I was able to really settle into the wine. The 2013 Suvla Syrah has a rather high acid content and both dissipates quickly on the tongue while also hanging around for a long finish. I’m not really sure how it achieved that but it was an interesting effect. Low tannins and the flavors of fig and spice rounded out the palate. E and I found the flavor to be a little on the sour side for our taste but M really enjoyed it.
While the Suvla Syrah would not be my first choice for a wine to enjoy on its own; it paired beautifully with both the sharpness of the goat cheese and the sweetness of the caramelized onions. Both flavors helped to mellow the acids a little and highlight the fruits in the wine. I am not great at pairing food with the right wine so I appreciated this Syrah’s pairing flexibility so I would definitely buy it again to go with dinner.
As ever, Suvla can be counted on for another winner!