Shiraz (Syrah) - WineTubeMap

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A busy interchange with lots of flavours colliding

Si-rah / Shi-razz

Red

Grape

Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape, Syrah being the French name and Shiraz the New World. The names are now used almost interchangeably, although there is often a nod to the heritage. If you buy Syrah, you’re more likely to get a more restrained, savoury wine, and Shiraz, a more punchy, spicy version. That said, whichever name, the wines tend to be vibrant, blackberry, juicy wine with at least a hint of black pepper and spice. It is grown worldwide and is often turned into very average sweet, fruit bombs, but it doesn’t take much to switch into a wine with more substance, perfect for warming your cockles and washing down a whole host of meals. Great places to look for classy Syrah/Shiraz are Barossa, New Zealand (yes really), Northern Rhône (Côte Rôtie, Crozes Hermitage are Syrah based) to name a couple.

Things you should know

Top Tip: Syrah/Shiraz is often oak aged, which changes the nature of the wine. If you're not a fan of sweeter flavours steer clear of American oak and look for wines aged in French oak instead.

Specific Food Match: The softer Syrah/Shiraz styles tend to be very easy drinking, and perfect for weeknight dinners, from sausages to shepherd's pie or tagines. Further up the scale you can go fancy, it's a great wine for intense meat dishes, classic Roast Beef, poached sirloin steak or caramelised onion tarte tatin.