Table of Contents
Syrah: a brief history
While Syrah/Shiraz is adaptable, and grown in numerous regions, it is primarily found in the temperate to warm viticultural areas. As of 2016, approximately 35 percent of the world's Syrah was found in France, followed by Australia with 20 percent and Spain with 10 percent.
The name Shiraz has become so widely recognized and so highly marketable that it has been used to label Syrah wines in countries other than Australia. It can imply a riper, fuller style, though this is not set in stone. Similarly it does not guarantee the point of origin of cuttings used to plant a vineyard.
In South Africa, the Shiraz naming convention is commonplace and in the US, South America and Israel either Syrah or Shiraz may be used depending on fashion. Even a handful of producers in France's Languedoc-Roussillon have taken to labeling their wines as Shiraz.
Typical flavors
Shiraz
The prevailing style of Shiraz winemaking tends toward bright fruit flavors – most frequently blueberries, blackcurrants and black cherries. Secondary notes of chocolate lend themselves well to the full-bodied texture of these wines, often accented by pepper and spicy inflections.
Compared to French Syrah the wines are often richer and bolder, with higher viscosity from alcohol. This bodyweight can obscure the fact that tannins are often more robust than the finely-structured Rhône versions.
The top wines can age for several decades. The wines become less dense in color, and savory aromas, plus oak vanillin's, begin to replace primary fruit characteristics.
The most searched-for Shiraz wine on Wine-Searcher is Penfolds Bin 95 Grange (which admittedly does often include a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon).
Syrah
Syrah has proved successful in multiple viticultural areas around the world; wines are produced in many styles and display myriad of dark-fruit flavors. Varietal Syrah can be quite floral in its youth, developing white and black pepper aromas and herbaceous notes as it ages. Some examples show tanned leather and smoky scents, while the fruit in these wines tends towards the very dark flavors of blackcurrant and licorice.
Old World styles of Syrah are generally produced in a more earthy and savory style in comparison to the New World where fruit-forward notes are more common.
The most searched-for Syrah on Wine-Searcher is Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage.
Best food pairings
Australian Shiraz pairs best with foods that are robust and flavorful. Grilled red meats, game birds, cured meats and goat-based stew all work well with the medium to high tannins of Shiraz. The rich fruit allows the wines to handle chargrilled food quite well, though there is usually plenty of tannin lurking in higher-priced Australian reds which may surface. Ideal vegetarian options include Eggplant Lasagna, Lentil Bolognese and Falafel or Mushroom-based Burgers.
The medium to full-bodied styles of Rhône-style Syrah go well with charcuterie, and pork sausages. It is a particularly good match with the Scottish delicacy Haggis, Neeps and Tatties, if not drinking a decent Single Malt. Well-seasoned dishes do seem to pair well with the slightly peppery versions of the grape.
Grilled vegetables match well, as do root vegetables. Syrah is a decent option for Thanksgiving and Christmas (both the main event and the next few day's leftovers) though very sweet sauces should be avoided if splashing out on a Côte-Rôtie.
Nomenclature
Origins
The name Shiraz would seem to allude to the wine produced around the city of Shiraz in the south of Iran. In the 9th Century, the region was known for producing the finest wine in the world. Although a healthy export of wine has been documented in the 20th Century, post the Islamic Revolution in 1979, wine can no longer legally be produced in Iran due to the prohibition of alcohol.
The earliest Australian documents, dating back to the grape's introduction around 1832, refer to it as "Scyras". Shiraz is likely a further corruption of that word rather than any firm link to the city in Iran. The Shiraz name was widely used by the end of the 19th century.
A number of suggestions have been advanced for the origins of the word Syrah. There is a Greek island of the same name, and links to the ancient city of Siracusa / Syracuse in Sicily have also been mooted. Scientific research into the origin of the variety (see below) would seem to discount such these ideas.
Synonyms (and confusions)
- Other synonyms include: Marsanne Noire, Blaue Sirah, Sira, Sirac, Sirah, Syra.
- Hermitage is a prestigious French appellation producing age-worthy wines from Syrah. Hermitage is also an old name for Cinsault used in South Africa, hence the name of the Pinot Noir-Cinsault crossing, Pinotage.
- Petite Sirah also known as Durif, is a descendant of Syrah and Peloursin Noir.
- Serine - this is clone of Syrah largely confined to the Northern Rhône (see below), where is is found in pockets across the wider region. Some producers consider it a distinct variety.
DNA and parentage
DNA profiling studies published in the late 1990s have shown that Shiraz/Syrah is a cross between two minor Rhône varieties: Dureza (a black-skinned grape) and Mondeuse Blanche (a white grape), neither of which today are prolifically planted. This essentially proves the varieties Rhône origins.
Syrah in the Rhône Valley region
Northern Rhône
Some of the world's most famous Syrah wines are the peppery, earthy reds of the northern Rhône, specifically of the Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Cornas and Saint-Joseph appellations. While Hermitage has been held in high regard for many centuries, the "roasted slopes" of Côte-Rôtie have emerged as a leading source of Syrah only towards the end of the 20th Century.
One of Syrah's most valued assets is its ability to produce wines capable of aging and improving over many decades. The most valued appellation in this regard is the hill of Hermitage; its name is so respected that for many years it was used as a synonym for Syrah in Australia. A well-built Hermitage requires 10 years or more to relax into its plummy, spicy fullness, and will reward cellaring for a further decade at least.
Southern Rhône
Most of the Southern Rhône wine region is too hot to make top quality Syrah, and most Côtes du Rhône wines are based on Grenache, with Syrah and Mourvèdre in support. Syrah can play more of a role in the more northerly parts closer to Montélimar.
The famous Guigal house (of Côte-Rôtie in the North) nods to its core portfolio by making a Côtes du Rhône with around 55 percent Syrah from Southern Rhône plots. (Domaine Jamet makes a 100 percent Syrah Côtes du Rhône, but this is from higher plots adjacent to Côte-Rôtie in the north.)
Other French Syrah regions
The variety is often blended with Grenache in the Languedoc-Roussillon. Syrah often appears on labels of IGP Pays d'Oc wines, and can play a starring role in a few appellations, such as Minervois, Minervois La Livinière and La Clape. Adjacent to the Southern Rhône in Provence, Syrah often makes an appearance as a component in red and rosé wines.
Other European regions
Several hundred miles up the Rhône Valley from Hermitage, near the river's origins at the Rhône Glacier, Syrah has found a happy home in the Valais, in warm, sheltered sloping vineyards where it can produce remarkably full, complex wines.
The grape variety enjoys the climate of eastern Austria's Burgenland, moderated by the waters of Lake Neusiedl. Elsewhere in Europe, Syrah is found throughout central Italy, Alentejo of Portugal and Castilla-la Mancha and Aragon of Spain.
Shiraz in Australia
Shiraz is so important to Australian viticulture that it is the most planted grape variety in the majority of the country's vineyards. 39,893 hectares (98,578 acres) of Shiraz vineyard were recorded in 2019-20. It has become virtually synonymous with the country's main wine regions, and in particular the Barossa Valley.
However the latter accounted for only 14 percent of total Shiraz grape crush in 2022/23. The Barossa Valley runs a distant second to Riverland, the engine room for more modestly priced red wines, which crushed 34 percent of Australian Shiraz in the same cycle.
Old vines
Australia's history with the grape dates back well to the mid 19th Century. A number of these pioneering wine properties remain, and in Barossa in particular many parcels of vines of well over 100 years of age are still farmed today. Winemakers here have compiled a formal register of these sites under the banner of the Barossa Old Vine Charter.
These low-yielding, gnarled veterans supply small, intense berries for some of Australia and the world's greatest red wines. No other region, including Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, has such a concentration of very old vines.
Styles of Shiraz in Australia
During the 1990s and early 2000s a lot of Australian Shiraz was characterized by highly extracted, super-ripe wines that, for better or worse, caught the attention of wine critics around the world. Some responded well to the style, championing the rich and bold flavors. Others lambasted the wines' lack of subtlety.
Regardless of the divided critics, consumer enthusiasm for Australian Shiraz flourished during this period. Countless expressions of the style were exported around the world.
At the dawn of the 21st Century there was a tangible shift in the way a lot of Australian Shiraz was made. Cool climate styles coming into their own and complexity gaining ground over sheer power. A new generation of wines began to emerge, working towards the elegantly spicy styles of the northern Rhône.
Regionality in Australian Shiraz
Australia is big, with vast distances between wine regions, and varied altitudes, proximity to rivers and/or the sea, soils, climate and weather. A number of scientific studies have demonstrated that key chemical compounds develop differently, depending on the region, thus defining the aromatics of the wine. Nevertheless the wines are still often lumped together under the "Aussie Shiraz" banner.
Allowing for terroir differences with a region, winemaking approaches, vintage conditions and other factors, hallmark styles from some key regions are as follows:
- Barossa Valley: Full-bodied, rich texture. (Sometimes jammy) blackcurrant, pepper and spice.
- Clare Valley: Full bodied, rich texture. Blackberry, black cherry, plum and licorice.
- Eden Valley: Medium to full-bodied. Blackberry, aromatic herbs, pepper.
- Heathcote: Medium to full-bodied. Rich dark fruit, spice, and ferrous minerality.
- Hunter Valley: Medium bodied. More red-fruit characters and savory notes.
- McLaren Vale: Full and rich with blueberry and chocolate.
Syrah in the USA
Syrah has a cult following in California, Washington and Oregon. In the particularly warm climates such as that of Napa Valley, it is blended more often than it is produced as a varietal wine. In Washington, it is the AVAs of Naches Heights and Walla Walla that the variety is popular.
While it has not seen the runaway success enjoyed by Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel, nor the feverish worship of Pinot Noir, a dedicated band of American winemakers has been devotedly working with Syrah since the 1970s. Known as the Rhône Rangers, these men and women have proven that the variety can produce complex, rich wines in all three of the above states.
Other Southern Hemisphere regions
Syrah has been proving itself in both Chile and Argentina for at least 20 years, and is finding its own style on either side of the Andean peaks. It has also achieved success in New Zealand, (particularly in Hawke's Bay) and in South Africa.
Shiraz/Syrah Viticulture
As a young vine, Syrah/Shiraz is a vigorous variety that requires attentive canopy management from vineyard staff. Once vines reach a decade or so in age, The variety is more known for its ability to withstand drought-like conditions making it an ideal variety for warmer viticultural regions.
Syrah/Shiraz has loose bunches of big grapes meaning the susceptibility it has to various mildew diseases is minimal. For vineyards to be successful, the correct choice of rootstock is required to ensure that grapes don't excessively shrivel prior to harvest.
Some growers in the Northern Rhône identify a small-berried, concentrated version called Petite Syrah (NB not Petite Sirah) and a larger-berried Grosse Syrah. This distinction is not widely supported by ampelographers.
Grapes in Australia tend to reach higher levels of potential alcohol (fermentable sugars). This leads to differences in winemaking approaches and wine styles.
Winemaking
The headline different in winemaking approach between France and Australia is the use of oak. New oak features more often in top-end wines in Australia, with many matured entirely in new barrels.
Moreover, in many Shiraz heartlands American oak - which due to its pore structure bestows more overt flavors - was the norm through the 20th century. While there has been a partial move to French oak, a number of American oak-aged wines are still made, with others combining American and French..
Blending partners
Syrah is an extremely useful blending grape. The thick-skins of the grape create a high tannin content and contribute a deep ruby-red color to the blend with an intense purple hue.
In the southern Rhône it is common for Syrah to be blended with any combination of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault, among others. Many Cotes du Rhone wines, while based on Grenache, feature some Syrah, with the percentage often increasing in the more northerly villages.
In Côte-Rôtie, up to 20-percent Viognier can be co-fermented with the red grapes to lift aromas and stabilize color although 10-percent is closer to the norm. Syrah-Viognier blends are now made in many other regions, most prolifically in Australia and California.
As in the Rhône, Australian Shiraz is often blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre (aka Mataro) creating what has become widely known as GSM. The dark chocolate and cassis of Shiraz, coupled with the plummy richness of Grenache and the earthy, gamey strength of Mourvèdre makes for a rich, opulent style often greater than the sum of its parts.
Blends of Syrah/Shiraz with Cabernet Sauvignon are perhaps most readily associated with Australia. The Cabernet – Shiraz blend has become so popular that it now represents a sizable proportion of Australian red wine blends.
This combination of Rhône and Bordeaux is rarely seen at French DOC level, though there are plenty of examples from southern IGPs such as Pays d'OC. The combination does however an illicit past; Rhône Syrah was often used to improve under-ripe Claret in a process known as Hermitagé.
The other major Shiraz blend emulates the idiosyncratic wines of Côte Rôtie by adding a small proportion of Viognier to the wine. Australian Shiraz – Viognier wines have also forged a formidable reputation on the international stage.
