Behind the Cork™ - Montes Alpha Syrah

2022 Montes Alpha Syrah ($24.99)

Montes — officially Viña Montes — was founded in 1987 by four partners with extensive experience in winemaking and viticulture: Aurelio Montes, Douglas Murray, Alfredo Vidaurre, and Pedro Grand. Their founding goal was bold and transformative: to craft premium-quality wines at a time when Chile was largely known for high-volume, inexpensive wine production rather than world-class bottles.

Montes didn’t just make great wine — it rewrote the story of Chilean viticulture. By insisting on premium quality, exploring new terroirs, innovating in both vineyard and cellar practices, and maintaining a deeply Chilean identity without reliance on foreign investment, Montes helped elevate the reputation of an entire nation’s wine industry.

This Montes Alpha Syrah is produced from Syrah (90%), Cabernet Sauvignon (7%) and Viognier (3%). The grapes were macerated in the fermentation tank for 5 days, after which selected yeasts were added Fermentation lasted for 7–10 days. It then underwent malolactic conversion. A portion of the wine was racked into French oak barrels where it remained for 12 months while remaining wine was held in concrete tanks, before it was blended into the final wine that was bottled. [ABV: 14.5%, TA: 3.8 g/L, pH: 3.5, Residual Sugar: 3.3 g/L]

The 2022 Montes Alpha Syrah is deep purple in color with delicate aromas of black and blue berries. On the palate, this full-bodied wine has flavors of black berry and boysenberry with medium tannin and medium acidity. The oak aging adds a bit of chocolate flavor to this wine that finishes with deep, rich jammy flavor.

This 2022 Montes Alpha Syrah is an excellent example of the wines coming out of Chile’s Colchagua Valley. It’s great tasting and a super value. A perfect fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Montes Winery via Kobrand Wine and Spirits

A Tour of Wine Grapes: Syrah

Syrah 🍷

Photo by Stephan Ridgway on Wikimedia Commons

The Syrah (Sih-RAH) grape was originally linked to ancient Persia or Egypt. However, DNA testing in 1998 proved that Syrah originated in France. It naturally occurred when two grape varieties from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche, naturally crossed.

Today, Syrah is grown all over the world. Its traditional home remains the northern Rhône Valley in France. It is also grown in Australia, where winemakers call it Shiraz. There, some of the oldest continually producing Syrah vines in the world can be found, with some planted back in 1843. You can also find it growing in large quantities across California, Washington state, South Africa, Chile, and Spain.

Wines made from Syrah have aromas of dark fruits and may also include dried herbs, black pepper and licorice.

On the palate, wines made from Syrah can have flavors of dark fruits like blackberries, blueberries, and black plums. They can also have notes of black pepper, smoke, and black licorice.

Syrah wines generally age very well. Thanks to their natural structure and dark skins, high-quality bottles can easily mature in a cellar for 5 to 10 years, and top-tier versions can evolve beautifully for over 20 years.

To get the most out of your bottle, serve Syrah slightly cool, just below room temperature, between 60°F and 65°F (15°C to 18°C). The best glassware to use is a standard red wine glass.

Behind the Cork™ - Karas Red Blend

2017 Karas Red Wine ($18)

The 2017 Karas Red Wine is made by Karas Wines, located in the Armavir province of Armenia. The company grows its grapes in the Ararat Valley, a place where people have been making wine for over 6,200 years. The winery is named after "karas," which are traditional clay jars that locals used long ago to ferment their grapes. The vineyards are located high up in a dry area with very hot summers and freezing winters.

The winemaking process blends traditional hand-picking with modern cellar technology. Workers pick all the grapes by hand. Inside the winery, the juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks. The final 2017 red wine is a blend made from several different grape varieties: 35% Syrah, 35% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Tannat. After the wine finishes fermenting, it is poured into oak barrels where it ages for one year before being bottled.

This wine is deep purple in color with aromas of black fruit. On the palate, this full-bodied wine has rich flavors of blackberry, raspberry and boysenberry. Its tannins are medium and its acidity is medium-high. It finishes a bit tannic (give it some extra time in a decanter) and jammy. This is my first wine from Armenia, but it won’t be my last. It’s a good one. And, this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A Tour of Wine Grapes: Silvaner

Silvaner 🥂

Photo by Agnes27 on Wikimedia Commons

Silvaner is an ancient white grape variety that originated in Austria. It is a natural cross between Traminer and Österreichisch-Weiß. From Austria, it spread to Germany, where it dates back to 1659 with plantings in Franconia. By the mid-twentieth century, it covered over thirty percent of Germany's total vineyard land, making it the country's most widely planted grape before declining in the 1970s. Today, Silvaner is primarily grown in Germany, particularly the Franconia and Rheinhessen regions, as well as in the Alsace region of France and the Valais canton of Switzerland. Cuttings of Silvaner were brought to the United States in 1858 and planted in California.

A notable detail about the grape is its traditional packaging in Franconia, where top-quality Silvaner is bottled in a distinct, flattened green flask known as a Bocksbeutel rather than a tall wine bottle.

Common aromas and flavors include green orchard fruits like pear and apple, citrus notes, and herbal notes such as fresh-cut grass, celery, and hay.

While everyday versions are made to be consumed young, premium wines can age for decades.

The wine should be served well-chilled between 46°F to 50°F. Serve in a medium-sized white wine glass with a slightly tapered bowl.


Behind the Cork™ - Amador Cellars Sangiovese

2015 Amador Cellars Sangiovese ($32)

The 2015 Amador Cellars Sangiovese is an estate-bottled California red wine produced by Amador Cellars, a family-owned winery located in Plymouth, California. And, if you haven’t noticed over the years, one of my favorite wineries. I picked this one up at the winery a few years ago and have been waiting for the right opportunity to open it.

Established in 2004 by the Long family, the estate operates a production facility and an underground-style barrel room in the Sierra Foothills. The fruit for this particular 2015 vintage was harvested from the winery's Ottimista Vineyards, located in the Shenandoah Valley AVA.

Fermentation uses isolated yeasts. Following the primary fermentation process, the wine is moved into oak barrels to undergo 18 months of aging.

The 2015 Amador Cellars Sangiovese is a medium garnet color, showing its 11-year age. The wine has soft aromas of red fruits, herbs and notes from the oak aging. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine has great blackberry and plum flavors, soft tannin and medium acidity. It is well balanced with a soft mouth-feel and finishes super smooth. This one’s a real winner! And, this week’s BTC Wine of the Week. Cheers!

The opinions expressed are entirely my own.