Of course, now that the term is being used by syrah makers all over the world, that description is getting looser and looser.

Now, when you see a bottle of "Petite Syrah," you may expect a lighter wine than a syrah. A mini-syrah, perhaps. This is where that pesky logic of yours would be foiling you. Petite syrah (written more often (and more correctly) as "petite sirah") is a totally different grape variety. It may be a cousin of the syrah, but when talking grapes, you're never very far removed. "Petite" refers to the size of the grape, not the wine it makes. In fact, the smaller grapes make concentrated juice that turns into a wine that's often even darker than syrah. I've had petite sirahs that were so dark and thick the bottle carried a viscosity rating. Also enhanced are the spicy qualities. Generally speaking, what petite sirahs lack in finesse, they make up for in muscle. If syrah is Jackie Chan, petite sirah is Conan the Barbarian.

Still, the best way to understand the differences between these wines is to taste them. Invite some friends over and try some or all of the following wines (split up the shopping list, so you don't go broke):

Those wines will give you a good idea as to the different styles, and huge variances found in syrah and petite sirah (and all but the Renwood are under $20). If you end up finishing them all, make sure your friends also bring sleeping bags with that wine.

Happy studying

One of the questions I am most often asked (besides, "Are you really wearing that tonight?" which is asked by my wife all-too-often) is "What's the difference between syrah and petite syrah?" Some people ask about shiraz at the same time. These questions, and the answers that are often assumed, give rise to a classic problem that exists in the wine world. Namely, good-old logic will help you about as much as guitar lessons from Sid Vicious.

So, allow me, with my amazingly illogical approach to life, help you understand what the differences are - and aren't - between wines labeled as syrah, shiraz and petite syrah.

Syrah is a grape variety. It hails from the Rhone region of France, but is being planted more and more places throughout the world. Syrah typically creates deep, red wines that smell and taste like berries, leather, tar, earth and spices, but as with all grapes, styles of wine vary tremendously. This is especially true of syrah, as it tends to reflect the soil it's grown in, and can pick up a lot of flavor and subtleties from growing conditions and the oak barrels.

Shiraz is a name that originated in Australia, but can now be found on bottles from the U.S., South America and beyond. Providing support to the idea that "they" do this to confuse us, shiraz is syrah: same grape, different name. Shiraz is the term used throughout Australia, and now by non-Aussie wineries that either make an Australian-style syrah, or have decided that the name better fits their marketing scheme.

What is an Australian-style syrah? A cheeky answer would be "shiraz," but that's not very helpful. Shiraz is usually fruitier (forward fruit, rather than lots of gamy, leather qualities up front), and quite a bit more approachable at a young age than bigger, more tannic syrahs.