Durif is a red variety developed by François Durif, a botanist at the University of Montpellier, who used Syrah pollen to germinate Peloursin vines in an attempt to develop a variety resistant to powdery mildew. The variety’s failure to produce quality wine in France nullified the value of that resistance, and the compact clusters of grapes are susceptible to bunch rot, a problem in its native environment that means Durif is seldom found in French vineyards today. The grapes form tightly packed clusters of small berries with a high skin to juice ratio, producing very tannic wines if the winemaker does not limit skin contact during fermentation.
Durif performs much better in drier, sunnier climates like Australia and California, and it is also found in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Israel and in other areas of North America, including Washington, Maryland, Arizona, West Virginia and Ontario's Niagara Peninsula. In the U.S. where it is known as Petite Sirah there has been some confusion about the variety, and many vineyards have mixtures of Durif and Pelorisin. As a result in the U.S. Durif and Petite Sirah are interchangeable synonyms for the same grape. DNA fingerprinting by the CSIRO verified that the clones imported to Australia are Durif rather than Peloursin.
Wines are dark and full flavoured, rich in tannin, with plummy black pepper overtones and occasional herbal or green characters. If you prefer subtle, understated reds, these wines, with alcohol levels around 14-15% and flavours to match, are not for you. The wines usually handle ten years or more in the cellar.
In California Durif is blended with Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir to add colour and tannin. For years, field-blending was the norm, and vineyards could contain a mixture of Alicante Bouschet, Carignan, Grenache, Mourvedre, Peloursin, or Zinfandel. Most such plantings were made by growers who aimed to produce large quantities of generic Burgundy.
Durif was introduced to Australia by Francois de Castella, son of a Swiss-born vigneron, educated at Xavier College Kew who left Australia in 1883 to study natural science, vine-growing and winemaking. Following the outbreak of phylloxera, de Castella condemned the policy of vineyard eradication, arguing for regional quarantine and the use of phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks, as had been done in Europe.
By 1907, De Castella went to Europe to obtain information on controlling Phylloxera and returned with Durif grafted to resistant rootstock from Montpellier. These vines were propagated at the Rutherglen Viticultural Research Station and spread around the region when replanting took place after phylloxera-affected vines were removed.
Old plantings of Durif around Rutherglen continue to produce inky table wines, noted for their cellaring ability. They also contribute to the region's fortifieds. Rutherglen producers are trying to do for durif what they did for their region's fortifieds with a consumer-focused campaign talking up the style, and the campaign resulted in a growing support for the variety in other regions, including Riverina and Riverland, producing easy-drinking styles with the tannins toned down and the fruit turned up. There has even been a suggestion from De Bortoli that Durif is better suited to the Riverina than Shiraz.
Durif is best suited to robust foods such as roast beef, rich stews, game dishes and full-flavored, mature cheeses.
