This month’s grape wears many different coats throughout the world. We know it as our beloved Shiraz when grown and produced in Australia. But did you know that the grape’s original home is none other than, yes you guessed it, France? Although the original name of the grape is Syrah, which is how it is referred to in France, these two grapes, Shiraz and Syrah, are one in the same. I suppose by now you might be seeing a pattern here. So many grapes that have become famous to us got their fame from their humble beginnings in France.

Syrah is a black, thick-skinned grape that produces wines of fantastic complexity and depth. Although the grape is the same, the wines produced from Shiraz/Syrah are enormously different, depending on where it is being grown. You might be wondering what factors affect the wines so much that the resultant products can be so different from each other. Part of the difference is the actual land that the grapes are planted in. The soil is very different in France than in Australia, giving the wines distinctly different flavors and aromas. I think climate and weather patterns have probably the biggest direct impact on how different and varied wines made from Shiraz/Syrah can be. The climate is much cooler in the Rhone Valley in France than it is in Australia. There are also many more days of sun down under. Therefore the grapes can become much riper in Australia because the warmer climate allows for a longer growing season. This is not to say that the grapes grown in France are inferior to those grown in Australia. On the contrary, French Syrah producers create some of the most fantastic, complex, long-lived wines produced in the world.

Syrah grown in France produces wines with aromas of spice, smoke, rubber, pepper, meat, chocolate, and black cherry or black plum fruit. Shiraz grown in Australia takes on a much more exotic character because the grapes are able to get so ripe. Here the fruit is also much more extracted and new-world in style. The telling signs of Australian Shiraz are candied cherry fruit and hints of menthol or eucalyptus.

Much like other wines we have tasted over the past few months, I think you will find the old-world style wines to more subtle, more complex, and better matches for a multitude of dishes. Shiraz/Syrah matches particularly well with lamb and venison, but can be enjoyed with veal, chicken, duck and beef as well. These wines could even be enjoyed with salmon prepared with red wine or tuna with root vegetables. These wines can compliment a number of cheeses. I would particularly suggest harder, sharper cheeses and bleu cheeses. Because Shiraz is generally bolder and more extracted than French Syrah, you will want to pair these wines with bigger meat dishes with strongly flavored sauces. Shiraz can be particularly nice with quite sharp cheeses, and the sweet, deep fruit characteristics match well with stronger bleu cheeses.

Where the Grape is Harvested

France: Most of the Syrah here is grown on the banks of the Rhone Valley. In the northern Rhone look for Cote Rotie (where the grape is blended with a small amount of Viognier, lending a distinct floral character to these wines), Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St. Joseph and Cornas. In the southern Rhone, look for the very famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape, where Syrah shares the spotlight with the more widely grown Grenache. Other southern Rhone bottlings to look for are Gigondas and Cotes-du-Rhone. Syrah is also grown in Languedoc in the villages of Costieres de Nimes, Coteaux du Languedoc, Minervois and Corbieres.

Australia: Here you will find bold, exotic versions of Shiraz, which is the greatest grape of Australia. Look for wines from Barossa, Victoria, the Clare and Eden Valleys, and McLaren Vale.

South Africa: Known as Shiraz here as well, look for wines from Stellenbosch.

United States: Dubbed the “Rhone Rangers” here, Syrah is increasingly being grown in the central coast of California and in Washington State, but typically these wines have less remarkable character than those grown in France or Australia.

Other Regions: Syrah is grown with success in Italy, in the regions of Puglia and Tuscany, Chile, Argentina, and to a lesser extent in Spain and Portugal.

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