Two Different Faces of Shiraz

Shiraz from Australia has become one of the most sought after red wines by wine consumers due to its fruity and easy drinking style. However Shiraz, known as Syrah in France, has its’ origins and has been grown in the Rhone Valley for hundreds of years. Shiraz and Syrah is the same grape but are quite different in styles depending on the region and the winemakers’ intervention.

Syrah is dark skinned and develops a powerful, full bodied red that is high in alcohol in warmer regions. Over 350,000 acres of Syrah are grown around the world. Syrah is an offshoot of two rather obscure grapes; Duresa (red) and Mondeuse Blanche (white). Recent research has shown that the Syrah vine was not imported into France from the Middle East but had its’ origins in Northern Rhone.

In France it is the main grape used in Northern Rhone and is used as a blending grape in Southern Rhone including the famous Chateauneuf- du - Pape region. This region was heavily planted to white grapes in the 1960’s and 1970’s as the most popular wines in this period was white wines. This changed in the 1980’s when popular wine critic Robert Parker began to review the Syrah based wine favourably and gave some wines high scores including a few perfect 100 point wines. In 1968 only 7000 acres of Syrah was planted in Rhone, however now it has over 125,000 acres, the most of any country in the world including Australia.

There are smaller sub regions in Northern Rhone that produce a range of styles. The wines of Cote Rotie are perfumed and quite soft whereas the wines of Hermitage are tannic and display mineral and earthy tones. Compared to the Shiraz style of Australia, Syrahs’ from Rhone are generally more tannic, elegant, smoky and display restrained fruit. Their aroma and taste profile include dark berries/ blackcurrant, violets, earth, leather smoke and coffee.

James Busby brought Syrah vine cuttings to Australia in 1832. They found their way to the Barossa valley and were well established by 1860. At first they named wines made from Syrah, “Hermitage”, but it was confusing since the Hermitage region in France also produced Syrah so they changed the name to Shiraz. Shiraz is grown in generally warmer regions in Australia and therefore the berries are riper and sweeter. This produces wines that are fruit driven, high in alcohol, low in tannin, more spicy than smoky and have a slightly sweet impression on the palate. Australia has the second highest plantings of Shiraz in the world at about 101,000 acres.

Shiraz aromas and tastes include dark berry/ blackcurrant and blueberry, pepper, chocolate, violet and newer oak influences’ such as vanilla and cedar. Cooler region produces Shiraz that displays spicier tones than the richer fruit wines of warmer regions within South east Australia.

Shiraz is sometimes blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. This gives the blended wine more strength and stronger flavours in the middle of your mouth. As in Northern Rhone, Shiraz is often blended with the white grape, Viognier which increases the aromatics and gives the wine a slight orchard fruit impression. Another interesting use of Shiraz in Australia is in sparkling wine. This rose coloured wine has strawberry and raspberry notes and is very refreshing but dry or off-dry.

Whether you call it Syrah or Shiraz, these wines come in a variety of styles to suit any palate and are extremely food friendly. As most wine consumers are familiar with Australian Shiraz be adventurous and try a softer version from the Northern Rhone, your taste buds will thank you.