Diamine Fountain Pen Ink (80mL) - Syrah

At first glance, Syrah looked more of a maroon than a deep red purple. Then it looked like a wine colour. Syrah definitely leans blue on white paper, and brown—or orange—on ivory- or cream-coloured paper. The ink is bluer than J. Herbin Rouge Grenat but redder than Scribo Rosso Chianti and Sailor Kobe #74 Myodani Cosmos Red.

I’ve experienced no skipping, no hard starts, no nib dryout, no feathering and no bleedthrough; just some slight ghosting in the usual thinner papers. There is a golden-greenish sheen visible out of my Sailor 1911L 21 kt H-B, but thankfully not in drier pens—not crazy about green sheen.

The ink has medium flow but because it is so saturated, I can achieve a dark line in a stingy pen. Also, because it’s not the most lubricating ink, the Sailor’s trademark feedback is more perceptible, even on smooth paper. It dries rather slowly on TR 52 gsm and on coated papers.

Syrah is readable in all nib sizes, even in thinner ones. It’s a dark, saturated ink, and not at all subtle! I would use Syrah when proofreading as it is different enough from an accusatory red. I even find this colour thought provoking.

I’d like to see how Syrah, Rustic Brown, Red Dragon and Oxblood compare. I have samples of the first two; I need to get the last two!

I love, love, love this ink. It’s a rich, deep wine colour. I added it to my order on a whim, hoping it might be similar to the colour of ink in the Pilot G2 in burgundy, and it’s a pretty good match. I don’t think the swab shown here does it justice. It has become my most-used ink for notes and lists.

Very nice at first, but this ink turns a dull brown when drying. I prefer Ottoman rose from Noodlers ink

Fantastic colour, very close but in my opinion remarkably better than Noodlers Black Swan in Australian Roses. The red tone is richer and more vibrant and it still shades, if slightly less dramatically.