Your intrepid liquor reporter was at one of those hoity-toity wine tasting events recently, and had the opportunity to compare French Syrah to Australian Shiraz.
The Syrah grape has its origins in the Rhône Valley of France, from a crossing of the Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza grape varietals, both of which are native to the northern Rhône.
No one knows for sure just when the Syrah grape appeared on the scene, but it was mentioned by Pliny the Elder in ancient Rome, making it at least two millennia old.
Syrah became very popular in France in the 1700s, and by 1832 it had made its way to Australia, where it quickly became the signature grape of the land down under.
The first clippings of Syrah vines brought to Australia were incorrectly labeled as another Rhône varietal known as Scyras, which the Aussie accents quickly mangled into Shiraz, and the name just sort of stuck.
Despite Syrah and Shiraz being exactly the same grape, the differing terroir has led Shiraz to be a much bolder wine than Syrah.
The traditional Syrah wines produced in France have a peppery and spicy feel, with hints of berries and smoky undertones. To contrast, the differing climate and soil characteristics in Australia give Shiraz a more youthful and fruit-forward taste.
The soils in France are much cooler, so it takes the grapes longer to grow. This gives them more time to pull nutrients from the soil, resulting in a more complex flavor.
To contrast, the Australian climate allows the grapes to mature much more quickly, so the flavors are bolder and more jam-like than their posh and reserved French cousins.
Although France was the country to give the Syrah grape to the world, it has been Australia that made the grape popular. The Australian wine industry took the world by storm back in the 1980s, with that hedonistic decade of decadence the perfect time for an easy drinking and well balanced wine like Shiraz, at prices that couldn’t be beat.
While there are over 130 different grape varietals planted in Australia, the top 3 are Shiraz, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. These 3 varietals account for two-thirds of domestic wine production, with Shiraz being the undisputed king of the hill.
In fact, Australia is the 4th largest wine exporter in the world, following the old-world champions of France, Italy, and Spain. Our brothers from Down Under produce 800 million litres of the good stuff every year, with around half going to the international export market, and the other half consumed domestically.
Syrah and Shiraz are often bottled as a single varietal, but you will sometimes find it blended with other grapes to produce a smoother taste. A pure Shiraz has quite a powerful flavor, which can be overwhelming to novice wine drinkers. A common blend is to bottle equal parts of Shiraz and Cab Sauv, which produces a more quaffable table wine.
The California wine industry has a climate more similar to Australia, so you will usually see Yankee wines labeled as Shiraz. To contrast, our cooler climate and shorter growing season means that Canada tends to produce wines labeled as Syrah.
In fact, Syrah might just be the closest thing to an official grape of the Canadian wine industry, particularly in the dry southern portions of the Okanagan Valley in BC.
My favourite Canadian Syrah is the Hillside Estates Syrah from BC, widely available in Alberta for around $25. With a complex flavour of blackberry and cloves, followed by a firm tannic finish, the Hillside Estates Syrah is made in the French style, and pairs perfectly with foods like prime rib.
If your tastes run more lowbrow, the Copper Moon Shiraz is available for under $10 at your friendly neighbourhood booze merchant, and flies off the shelves at that price. Copper Moon is Cellared in Canada, which means it is made from bulk foreign grapes, that arrive in Canada by the trainload, and are then bottled locally for the value-conscious domestic market.
Regardless of what you choose to call it, these wines are best served at a warmer temperature than most reds. 18ºC is the optimal temperature, while most reds are best served around 14º-16º.
Look for a Syrah / Shiraz at your local booze merchant, and see what all the fuss is about!
