Shiraz - Our favourite grape variety
Posted by RSVP on
Shiraz, Syrah or 'Shee-Rahz'. Whatever you want to call it, Shiraz is the mainstay of the Aussie wine industry: It's the variety that initially put Australian wine on the map; the shining mascot of our dynamic, modern wine industry.
Historically, Shiraz was one of the first varieties to arrive in Australia, (with references by the wine pioneer, James Busby, to the early misspellings of the word Syrah). However, it wasn't until the late 1980s that Aussie Shiraz really begun to garner worldwide attention. Now, over one quarter of the wine produced in this country comes from Shiraz & it is our most exported variety - with export growth fuelled by a parallel growth in Shiraz production.
In world terms, few grape varieties express their national character like Aussie Shiraz. The constant undertone of ripe, rich and luscious fruit characters is stamped into Shiraz Australia wide. Even the coolest of cool climate Shiraz shares this generosity & flavour. Australian Shiraz has evolved to the point where it's now a brand name - a wine formula that is copied worldwide, yet nowhere is this fruit intensity achieved with the same consistency.
Stylistically, Australian Shiraz runs the whole gamut of flavours and fashions, reflecting the range of regional and climatic conditions where Shiraz finds its home. From the elegant, peppery, cool climate styles of the Adelaide Hills to the rich, hedonist style of the Barossa & finally to the meaty understated fruit power of the Hunter Valley.
In recent years, with the availability of Viognier in Australia, winemakers have increasingly blended Shiraz & Viognier. Typically, Shiraz Viognier blends have a perfumed aroma and softer tannins, transforming occasionally gruff Shiraz into a softer, sexier style suitable to enjoy while relatively young.
Ultimately, whatever it is called, Shiraz is one charismatic and just plain delicious grape variety.
Article provided by Winemakers Choice.