If you like Shiraz, read this !

Syrah, or shiraz as it is known in the New World, is considered to be one of the great noble black grape varieties, due to its ability to produce dark, full-bodied, age-worthy wines.

The vine itself is productive and relatively disease resistant. However, to retain quality, it is essential for yield and productivity to be restrained, as the deep, dark-fruit qualities fall as yield increases, along with aroma and acidity. It is a robust, dark-skinned variety producing equally powerful and full-bodied wines. It shows aromas and flavours of black fruits, pepper and mint, developing notes of liquorice, espresso and chocolate in hotter conditions and, with age, leather, truffles and earthy aromas.

In South Africa both shiraz and syrah are seen on wine labels giving an indication of the style of the wine.

It is perhaps at its greatest in Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage in the northern Rhône where it produces dark, full-bodied wines distinguished by their longevity. Black, ripe fruits mingle with black-pepper aromas and spice. As the wines age they gain in subtlety, elegance and complexity.

In the southern Rhône and southern France, syrah is found mostly in blends with grenache, cinsault and mourvèdre creating intriguing, competitively priced, spicy wines usually for earlier drinking.

Further afield syrah metamorphoses into shiraz in Australia where it is the country's most widely planted red grape variety. The wines are rich, potent, full-bodied and full-strength with notable black pepper, spice and eucalyptus and chocolate notes. The Australians have also had great success in blending this variety with cabernet sauvignon.