Síria, also known as Roupeiro, is a green grape from Portugal that has a reasonably strong presence in its heartland.
Characteristics
This is a grape that produces wine with intense aromas of flowers and sweet tropical fruit. As it, however, oxidises very easily, it might not be the wine growers first choice unless you are from somewhere close to its heartland. It has an ability to retain high levels of acidity also when grown in a warm climate.
The wine is, due to its tendency to oxidise, made for early consumption.
Wines
The heartland, e.g. Beira Interior in Portugal, is thought to produce the wine’s best expressions. The highland areas in Spain’s Galicia, for example around Bierzo is also a good place to look.
Food pairing
A typical, very nice pairing to a dry varietal Síria wine is white meat, e.g. a chicken dish, preferably with a creamy sauce. The wine is best served at 8-10°C/46-50°F.
Where is it grown?
Síria is, with its 7.145 ha/17,655 ac, the seventh most planted grape in Portugal. The plantings are mostly in the northern regions, Alto Tras-os-Montes (3.450 ha/8,525 ac), Beira Interior (2.270 ha/5,609 ac), and the central Alentejo (1.278 ha/3,158 ac).
In Spain, most plantings are in north-western Galicia (441 ha/1,090 ac) and central-west Bajaduz (236 ha/583 ac). The corresponds to most of Spain’s total acreage of 753 ha/1,861 ac, placing it as the fifty-seventh most planted grape in the country.
History
Síria is an old variety that has been documented for more than five-hundred years. It is thought to have originated in the border land between Portugal’s north-east and Spain’s central-west.