Sometime in May 2003 — in a closed-door meeting — marketing gurus on Madison Avenue decided that syrah would be the new "it" wine. They reasoned it was an easy grape to pronounce, not particularly hard to grow and that merlot had had a good run but needed to be replaced.

Like so many well-laid plans, it didn't turn out as they figured. Yes, tons of syrah were planted, but the memo instructing winemakers on what kind of syrah wine to make was never sent. Would it be the scintillating, earthy, austere style of France's northern Rhone Valley or the fruit-laden, jammy and bold style made famous by Australian shiraz makers?

KULERS UNCORKED GIL KULERS Gil Kulers is a certified wine educator with the Society of Wine Educators and teaches in-home wine classes. You can reach him at gil.kulers @winekulers.com or by clicking on his photo above. Related: • More on food and drink Paso Robles: the Napa Valley of the past?  2007 Quivira Vineyards, Fig Tree Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc  Seasons 52 sommelier masters art of enjoyment  2006 Revelry Vintners Chardonnay  Spanish wines are on the rebound

Turns out that plenty of both kinds were made, but this created an identity crisis. You never knew what you were going to get, unless you paid careful attention to the scribblings of intrepid wine columnists with their fingers on the pulse of America's wine industry. So syrah's moment to shine as an A-list, American wine never came to pass.

Then everyone got infatuated with pinot noir after the movie "Sideways" hit the screens, and syrah fell back into the middle of the wine pack. (Dare I say "Que sera, syrah?" Probably not.)

David Hopkins, winemaker for Bridlewood Estate Winery and self-appointed swami of syrah, says "Sideways" really should have been made about his favorite grape, not pinot noir.

"We have a saying around here that people come to Santa Ynez for the pinot noir and stay for the syrah," says Hopkins, referring to one of the Santa Barbara, Calif., growing regions where "Sideways" was filmed. "And the pinots are great, but I think ultimately it will be the perfect place for syrah."

Despite Hopkins' best efforts, syrah sales remain stagnant. After a jump in 2003, domestic syrah sales have settled down. Syrahs made up about 3 percent of food-store wine sales in 2004 and 2005 and inched up to 3.5 percent in 2006, according to AC Nielsen. That doesn't matter to Hopkins, who has enthusiastically made syrah wines for a dozen years.

"I think it is a very malleable grape in terms of winemaking," Hopkins says. "Each of our blocks expresses where it's from, and I'm able to use each of these expressions to blend for elegance and structure."

I enjoy wines made of syrah. I prefer the Rhone style over the Aussie style, but unlike a lot of whiny wine experts, I don't cast off the big, burly wines from Down Under, or those made in their likeness from the United States. Sometimes only shiraz will do.

About nine months ago, I started collecting California syrahs of all types. They do make syrahs in other places in the United States, but I didn't care to taste several hundred wines for this report. The 51 from California I did taste (all blind-tasted) were plenty to get a sense of the state of syrah.

The state of domestic syrah is generally sound, with just a couple of caveats. First, to all you bargain hunters out there: You're probably better off sticking to $10 cabernet sauvignons and merlots if you are looking for a discount red wine. I did find a couple of gems under $15 (the 2004 Fetzer Vineyards, Valley Oaks, Shiraz and the 2005 Virgin Vines Shiraz, which I will address in a future column), but most of the value-oriented syrahs ranged from blah to yuck-o for me.

Second, if you're looking for more food-friendly, Rhone-style versions of syrah, you'd be better served by winemakers south of the San Luis Obispo County line. The wines from Paso Robles and Santa Barbara, for the most part, accentuated bright, fresh berry flavors and minerals. If you're prone to pop a bottle of fun and fruity Aussie shiraz (pronounced SHE-raz), then look for syrahs from Sonoma, Mendocino and, to a certain extent, Monterey and Livermore counties. I found a preponderance of beefy, full-bodied, jammy syrahs from these northerly regions.

(By the way, in case you were wondering, there are no genetic differences between syrah and shiraz, the latter of which is typically associated with Australian wines. Indeed, most of the plant material found in Australia originally came from French vineyards, where it was called syrah. Shiraz refers to more of a style rather than a unique grape type.)

Bridlewood's Hopkins couldn't agree more with my north-south observation. "I think that at some point, someone is going to draw a line in the sand, and it will be cabernet to the north of San Pablo Bay and syrah to the south," he says. "The central coast will be syrah-central some day. And we're still learning where to grow this grape, and when we finally figure it all out, you'll be finding some incredible wines coming from here."

The bad news is that to get any of these incredible interpretations of syrah, you're going to have to part with a little cash. Cline's Los Carneros version was perhaps the value leader, coming in at $21, but most of the better syrahs (and there were a bunch of fancy ticklers in this tasting) will set you back at least $30 or $40.

But the good news is that they are worth it. Unlike the jaw-dropping prices of many A-list cabernet sauvignons and pinot noirs, the best domestic syrahs will set you back no more than $50 or $60. And let's face it, you need to try some new varieties, right? Maybe the marketing geniuses got it right after all.

Gil Kulers, a certified wine educator with the Society of Wine Educators, is the beverages instructor for the culinary arts program at Chattahoochee Technical College.

Note: Wines are rated on a scale ranging from thumbs down, one thumb mostly up, one thumb up, two thumbs up, two thumbs way up and golden thumb award. These are suggested retail prices as provided by the winery, one of its agents or a local distributor.

2002 Wattle Creek Shiraz,
Alexander Valley, Calif.
$28
Two thumbs way up

What an exciting wine, with aromas of black pepper, spices, blackberries and plum. Medium-bodied with subtle spiciness, it has flavors of boysenberry, a note of dark chocolate and food-friendly tartness.

2004 Cline Cellars Syrah,
Los Carneros, Calif.
$21
Two thumbs up

An intense wine packed with blackberry fruit, black cherry, dry cherry, black licorice and notes of chalky minerals. A couple of hours later, it offered "meaty" plum and cranberry flavors with a subtle bitterness.

2004 Daniel Gehrs Syrah,
Santa Barbara County, Calif.
$30
Two thumbs way up

You don't have to drink this wine, just get lost in its aromas of violets, dark berries and peppery spices. But if you do, you'll find flavors of fresh, ripe blackberries with a light gaminess and black licorice. Very approachable.

2003 Curtis Winery,
Crossroads Vineyard Syrah, Santa Barbara County, Calif.
$32
Two thumbs up

A pleasant mix of berry, earthy barnyard and leather aromas. It has flavors of ripe blackberries and plum, with a touch of black pepper, minerals and a subtle, sweet quality. It should please novices and wine snobs alike.

2004 JC
Cellars, Haley's Reserve,
Rockpile Vineyard, Rockpile, Calif.
$50
Two thumbs up

A powerful wine with blackberry, blueberry and leathery, sharp black pepper notes. A little over the top and lacking some "syrah-ness," but still enjoyable.

2003 Tablas Creek Vineyard Syrah,
Paso Robles, Calif.
$35
Two thumbs up

Intoxicating aromas of dark spices, real root beer, violets and blueberries. It has subtle flavors of cranberry, pleasantly tart raspberry, cola and an exciting note of jalapeño pepper. Tablas rarely disappoints.

2003 Bridlewood Estate Winery,
Reserve, Syrah, Central Coast, Calif.
$24
Two thumbs way up

Exotic without being weird, this wine has aromas of dark berries, violets and a hint of mint. It offers flavors of ripe red berries, blueberry with nice balance among its tart, spicy and meaty qualities. Yum, what a food wine!