My regular boozing crew has been waiting with bated breath to see if the recent Calgary Stampede will be the harbinger of the dreaded fourth wave of the pandemic, as we warily gathered in my backyard to second annual Shiraz Day, with trepidation in our hearts and the haze of BC wildfire smoke in the air.
No one knows for sure just when the Syrah / Shiraz 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, although there are a few winemakers in the Okanagan blessed with sun-baked slopes that produce wines labeled as Shiraz.
My favourite Canadian Shiraz is the Black Sage Vineyards Shiraz, widely available in Alberta for around $32. With a complex flavour of blackberry and pepper, followed by a firm tannic finish, this Shiraz is grown in the famed Black Sage Road region of the Okanagan Valley, home to some of the hottest microclimates in the region.
A slightly more budget-friendly option is the Mission Hill Shiraz, weighing in at closer to $25 at your local wine merchant. Mission Hill is one of the largest wineries in the Okanagan Valley, and while their winery is just outside West Kelowna, they have vineyards spread all over the Okanagan Valley. Mission Hill never fails to impress, and their Shiraz is also grown on the famed Black Sage Road, bursting with blackberry and spicy notes that linger on the palate.
Regardless of what you choose to call the grape, 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 friendly neighbourhood bottle shop to see for yourself!
