The Sexiest of Grapes

In the late ‘90s, it was impossible to avoid hearing “Sex & Candy” by alternative rock group Marcy Playground at some point during the day. It was on the radio as you were scarfing down Pop Tarts on the way to school; at the mall as you shopped for butterfly clips or a pair of new JNCOs (remember those?); and, I’d imagine, on the jukebox at the bar when the song permeated the airwaves in 1997.

I had to imagine what was happening at bars, of course, because I was a mere 13 years of age when the song launched the band from obscurity to constant rotation on MTV. And like many of you, I was singing along to songs that I didn’t quite fully understand. Truth be told, I didn’t much care for the song (I was more of a Björk and Portishead kind of kid, which had to perplex my parents), but I’ll be damned if the phrase, “I smell sex and candy here,” didn’t burn its way into my skull – probably because I lacked full comprehension of the lyrics. I could absolutely conjure up the smell of candy as I hummed the melody, but what, exactly, was the aroma of sex alongside? Something like Syrah, as it turns out.

Syrah is a black grape that is responsible for the majestic red wines of France’s Northern Rhône Valley, and it’s thought that the variety has been grown in the area since Roman times. The variety is at home on dizzyingly steep slopes designed to coax every ounce of ripeness from the grapes in zones like Côte-Rôtie (literally “roasted slope”) and Hermitage, and each appellation in the valley sees Syrah expressing itself with its own personality. All, however, offer an unmistakable note of cracked black peppercorns thanks to high concentrations of the chemical compound rotundone that develop in this relatively moderate climate.

These Rhône-grown examples of Syrah are also those that tend to reveal its sexy side. Once you peel back the layers of violets, pepper, and plums, you start to notice something a bit more primal. It’s especially evident, in my view, when sampling wines from Cornas, the southernmost and warmest part of the Northern Rhône Valley. Where Côte-Rôtie’s Syrahs offer a more lifted, floral perfume that charms and beguiles, Cornas is savory, even perhaps a touch sweaty – and not just because of the possible presence of Brettanomyces, a yeast strain that can cause farmyard-like aromas, often the result of less-than-stellar cellar hygiene.

It’s a smell that is at once familiar and difficult to articulate. For me, it instantly recalls the aroma of bacon fat that hangs in the hazy late morning air after frying up a few slices for Sunday brunch. It’s at once salty, smoky, and meaty, perhaps even downright bloody in some instances. It’s the flavor and sensation of biting the inside of your cheek as your mind wanders away from the task at hand. It’s why I’ve previously described Syrah as the “morning after” wine – not for when you’re likely to serve it, but because of the mental images it conjures as it sensually swirls around your tongue and down your throat. Syrah, and Cornas specifically, is carnal. Pop open an example from Auguste Clape or Courbis and you’ll get the picture pretty quickly.

To be sure, not every Syrah on the market is going to take you to the dorm room at Bryn Mawr College that inspired Marcy Playground’s (one) hit. This is particularly true if you grab a bottle of Shiraz, an alternative name for the same variety, from places like McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley in Australia. In those offerings, you’ll more likely be reminded of blackberry jam than an unmade bed and animal fat. In fact, if you see the word “Shiraz” on the label, it’s the producer’s way of letting you know that what’s inside is more likely to be fruit-driven than rely on the grape’s underbelly to provide drinking satisfaction.

But maybe you, like me, are more intrigued by sex than candy. And while there’s plenty of talk this time of year surrounding all of the sweetness that valentines may offer, know that more primal pleasures await in bottles on shelves near you. You can always enjoy the chocolates afterward.

The varieties described by Adam are usually found at PA Fine Wines and Good Spirits. You might also try Domaine Lionnet and François Villard as locally available options. You can learn more about about Cornas and other wine regions around the world in Adam's online classroom. Visit burghundy.com to see listings and to secure your spot in an upcoming session.