Syrah

• Red wine grape

• Ranges from light and fruity to powerful, intense and complex

• Red & black fruit, black pepper, floral, earthy

• Grown throughout the world, most notaby in France and Australia

• Also known as Shiraz, Sirah and Hermitage

Flavours & Characteristics

Styles

Syrah vs Shiraz

While Shiraz is simply a synonym for Syrah, they are the same grape variety but the use of one name over the other can typically be indicative of the style of wine. Broadly speaking, ‘Syrah’ will be found on labels of wines from Europe and ‘Shiraz’ on those from the Southern Hemisphere and North America. 

Syrah is associated with flavours such as earthiness, smoke and mineral and Shiraz with black pepper, violet and chocolate alongside the black-fruit led character of both styles.

Reds from countries such as South Africa, Chile or Argentina labelled ‘Syrah’ tend to be earthier, smokier and more structured than their Shiraz counterparts, while Vin de France labelled ‘Shiraz’ can be more fruit-forward and easy-drinking than regional French Syrah.

Blending

While characterful enough for a range of styles of varietal wine, Syrah makes a great blending component adding both body and roundness. Most commonly, Syrah will be found with its main companion, Grenache plus the rest of the Southern Rhône band of ‘joyeaux compagnons’ including Mourvedre, Cinsault, Carignan et al, found across Southern France. Australian winemaking has found great success with GSM, or Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro (Mataro is a synonym of Mourvedre), with similar blends typical of Spanish regions such as Priorat, Toro and Montsant.

Up in the Northern Rhône - where the climate has been traditionally less suited to heat-loving varieties such as Mourvedre and Grenache - Syrah is the sole permitted red variety, several appellations have the option of adding a small proportion of white varieties (Viognier, Roussanne or Marsanne) to add complexity and a perfumed lift.

Syrah is also grown in significant quantities in Italy - mostly in Tuscany and Sicily - where it is blended with Italian varietals such as Sangiovese and Nero d’Avola to bolster the mid-palate of the reds. Alongside other international varieties, Syrah frequently features in Super Tuscan blends - one of the most premium and sought after wine categories in the world.

Where in the World?

Syrah is now found in most of the wine-producing regions of the world, despite having almost completely disappeared as recently as the 1980s. Despite other geographical claims relating to nomenclature, the variety originates from the Rhone Valley with France still leading the way in terms of global Syrah production, closely followed by Australia.

Food Pairing

Syrah is a great wine for food. Being well-structured with bold flavours, even the lighter examples are a solid match for strong flavours. 

Geographical wine and food pairing is always a great place to start. Dishes featuring Provençal herbs complement the similar flavour profile of a Rhône Valley Syrah while the plush, ripe fruit concentration and pepperiness of Australian Shiraz works wonders with sweet and piquant barbecue food.