Syrah or Shiraz is a grape that is grown throughout the world and has great popularity attached to it. The dark skinned grape is used to produce powerful red wines. Syrah or Shiraz is famous both as a varietal and also blended. The result of two French grapes Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche, Syrah is the main grape of Northern Rhone. It is used to produce classic wines like Hermitage, Cote-Rotie and Cornas. Australia, France, Argentina, Chile and United States are big growers of Syrah around the world.
An offspring of Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche, the Syrah is believed to have been first cultivated in Rhone valley in France. There is also a conflict which attaches the origin of Shiraz to Iran which has a place by the name of the grape. However it is not clear the exact place of origin. The research’s have put the origin of Shiraz around 77 A.D but not enough proof or historical data have been obtained to ascertain the origin or to shed light on whether it was grown first in France or Iran.
The name Shiraz was coined in both Iran and France. In Iran as it is believed the city of Shiraz produced the wine and it was late brought to Rhone, France by Dutch travelers. However a different story tells that Shiraz was a name that was given by the French. The story goes that the grape variety were called Hermitage but the name gave rise to confusion as Hermitage was a name given to protected designation of origin in French and exporters faced constant problems. The name Shiraz stuck and the grape variety became famous as Syrah or Shiraz all over. Some also believe that it was the Australians who gave the name Shiraz to the grape variety but no evidence exists to prove any of these claims.
The Shiraz enjoys unequalled popularity and fame due to the fact that it can be used both as a varietal and blending grape and it’s distinct taste is evident in both forms. Its mid-palate is fresh and juicy and helps in balancing the weakness of other varietals used in a blended wine and “Completes” the wine. It also can be enjoyed both as an aged wine and young wine due to its smooth tannin structure. Mainly used to make dry red table wine.
* Varietal Syrah or Shiraz: This is the Hermitage in Northern Rhone or Australian Shiraz.
* Syrah with Viognier (blended): This is mainly produced in Cote-Rotie in northern Rhone.
* Syrah with Cabernet Sauvignon: Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon are blended in equal proportion and is called popularly as Shiraz-Cabernet.
* Syrah in small amount with Grenache and Mourvedre: This is the standard blending followed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in southern Rhone and it’s also called GSM in Australia.
* Syrah is also used in other wine styles like Rose wine, Sparkling wine and fortified wine in Prot style.
The Shiraz is famous for its full bodied structure and is powerfully flavored. The Shiraz varies widely in flavors based on the soil, geography and the methods of cultivation. High tannin content and concentrated flavors give Shiraz the best taste when bottled for aging. Aging of 15 years or longer give Shiraz its best taste and it is considered to have one of the highest wine serving temperature at 18oC (65F).The Shiraz has always been considered the king of the Grape wine and it enjoys extreme popularity throughout the world for the unique traits it has. So the next time you go out for dinner ask for a wine blended with Shiraz and get a taste of the best wine. Just enjoy the flavor of Shiraz and let it do the rest.
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