Wine Guide - Shiraz - Carousel Card Item

If you could encapsulate Australian winemaking in a single grape, there’d be little argument as to which it would be. A dry red with incredible presence, Australians treat <a href="/c/red-wine/shiraz">shiraz</a> as less a wine varietal than they do a religion. Our world-beating exports have compelled old- world vintners to take Australian wines seriously, and this success has fuelled a deep love for the grape within the nation’s subconscious. But while shiraz might nowadays appear as Australian as Vegemite or Qantas, it wasn’t always so. The shiraz story begins with a grape that is entirely the same, but somehow different.

Wine Guide - Shiraz - What's in a Name

Wine Guide - Shiraz - Quote

New world, new wineThe Barossa Valley is home to the oldest shiraz vines in the world, with many of Busby’s original plants still bearing fruit. Entrenched, gnarled and unirrigated, these vines offer low yield but incredibly intense flavour. The most prominent Australian shiraz producers are of this ilk, and include <a href="/c/penfolds">Penfolds</a>, creator of the almost mythical Penfolds Grange, Henschke and St Hallett.
But more recently both the domestic and international markets have developed a taste for lighter Australian shiraz, grown in conditions that more closely resemble those found in the northern Rhône. The cooler climes of the Yarra Valley and Beechworth regions produce a mid-weighted, fresher and more playful flavour, and offer new drinkers a far less challenging introduction.

A question of tasteAs alluded to above, the notes of shiraz will change subject to where and how it has been grown and produced. The archetypal Australian shiraz – those of the South Australian regions of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale – bring a weight and intensity that is almost unmatched by any other wine in the world. Dark fruit, chocolate and spices abound; deep flavours that challenge the palate, creating an experience that is as exciting as it is demanding.The cooler conditions offered to the Victorian shirazes of the Yarra Valley, Heathcote and Beechworth result in a wine with a slightly lower intensity of flavour than those of SA, but with no less interest. Dark fruits once again take centre stage, counterbalanced by a light pepper bite.For their part the wines of the northern Rhône, including such famous names as Guigal, Chapoutier and Domaine du Coulet, remain as popular as ever. A seductive combination of black olive tang, peppered spices and the bitter-sweetness of berry compote are on offer, and flavours vary markedly from hillside to hillside.

Shiraz/Syrah Titbits

Wine Guide - Shiraz - Shiraz/Syrah titbits

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