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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where did the name of this organization come from? A. In an early breakfast meeting in Santa Rosa, April of 2002, Christine Wells-Groff (Foppiano Vineyards), Dan Berger (Dan Berger's Vintage Experiences), and Jo Diaz (Diaz Communications) were brainstorming for the First Annual Petite Sirah Symposium to be held at Foppiano Vineyards on August 6, 2002. Christine and Jo were discussing with Dan what he thought of the idea, to which he replied, "I think that this will go really well, and I also believe that there should be a group of Petite Sirah growers and producers. They can call themselves, P.S. I Love You!" After the Symposium, a questionnaire went to all the attendees asking, "If there was a group called P.S. I Love You for Pet growers and producers, would you join?" The answer was a resounding, "Yes." Foppiano Vineyards bought the domain name, www.psiloveyou.org, Rosenblum Cellars paid the Webmaster, and the membership grew enthusiastically by leaps and bounds the first year. Q. Is Petite Sirah a hybrid? A. According to Dr. Carole Meredith: PS is not a hybrid in the sense it is used for wine grapes. PS is pure Vitis vinifera. In the context of wine, the term "hybrid" refers only to grape varieties that have American grape species in their ancestry, such as Seyval blanc or Marechal foch or Baco noir. Like every Vitis vinifera grape variety we've looked at so far, PS has as its parents two other varieties of Vitis vinifera. Some examples are:
In scientific circles, one might use the term "hybrid" to describe any of the above varieties, because each is the offspring of two parents. But in wine writing, the term should be avoided, because it refers to varieties whose parents are not pure Vitis vinifera. Q. What was Durif's first name? A. François Durif. According to the late famed president of the International Gourmet Society and a member of some 66 wine-tasting societies around the world, Roy Andries de Groot* has said of François Durif, "In the 19th century, the vine was brought to the United States, but, as with the Gamay Beaujolais, the planting and development have been burdened by mistakes and misunderstandings caused by inefficient labeling and record keeping. The Syrah has become mixed up with a second vine type from the Rhone-a variety that began to be planted in the valley of the great river around 1880-a common grape with none of the superb qualities of Syrah. This lesser grape was developed by a French amateur botanist, Dr. François Durif, so the vine was given his name. (Today, members of PS I Love You would gladly take issue with de Groot's opinions; however, for our purposes, his exact words hold some truths, and are worth repeating here.) *Roy Andries de Groot, The Wines of California, The Pacific Northwest & New York, Summit Books, , New York, 1982, pp. 154 - 155. Q. Is it one "f" or two, in the name Durif? A. There is only one "f" in the name Durif. Q. What is the difference in Petite Sirah, Syrah, and Shiraz? A. According to Dr. Carole Meredith of the University of California - Davis, "Petite Sirah is the offspring of Syrah. Every grape variety has two parents. In the case of Petite Sirah, those two parents are Syrah and Peloursin. That means that half of the genetic makeup of Petite Sirah came directly from Syrah. Syrah is the father of Petite Sirah in the true genetic sense. Syrah and Shiraz are synonyms." Q. Why is it sometimes written Petite Syrah and sometimes written Petite Sirah. A. According to the late Roy Andries de Groot, Perhaps in California… They decided to give it a new name, including a French word for prestige, and something a bit easier to spell than Syrah. Both requirements were met by calling the new American vine Petite Sirah."*
**Roy Andries de Groot, The Wines of California, The Pacific
Northwest & New York, Summit Books, , New York, 1982, pp.
155.
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Dr. Carole Meredith explains Petite Sirah:
1. The grape variety known as "Petite Sirah" in California is indeed the same as the French variety Durif. They are simply two names for the same grape. We confirmed this around 1997, by comparing the DNA profile of California Petite Sirah with an authentic sample of Durif from the French national variety collection. Some of the Petite Sirah vineyards in California are very old and, typical of old vineyards, contain some oddball vines of other varieties. Thus not 100 percent of the vines are always Petite Sirah, just as not 100 percent of the vines in an old Zinfandel vineyard are Zinfandel. There may be a few vines of other varieties mixed in; e.g., Carignane, Grenache, Barbera, Alicante, etc. This kind of "field blend" exists in most old vineyards all over the world, whether it's a Petite Sirah vineyard in California or a Grenache vineyard in southern France. 2. Petite Sirah is related to the true Syrah of the Rhone Valley. Syrah is the father of Petite Sirah. Petite Sirah (aka Durif) arose as a seedling around 1880, in the experimental vineyard of Dr. Durif in southern France. The seed that became Durif was the result of a cross-pollination between an old French grape called Peloursin and Syrah. Thus Petite Sirah shares half of its DNA with Syrah. We discovered this in 1998, by using DNA paternity analysis methods just like those used with humans. Carole MeredithProfessor Emerita Department of Viticulture and Enology University of California |
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