Syrah / Shiraz

Because of its name, Syrah was long believed to be Persian, Syrian or born in Syracuse; the variety's recorded origin and parentage are set out in the next section. The grape is known in the Rhône as Syrah and may well have been grown there since Roman times. Until the 1970s French Syrah plantings were mostly concentrated in and around the vineyards of the Rhône Valley; Syrah then surged in popularity throughout southern France, particularly in Languedoc-Roussillon, and it is now France's third most planted red. The first Shiraz plantings in Australia date to the late 1700s. In 1832 James Busby, known as the 'father of Australian viticulture', took cuttings of Syrah, then called Scyras, to Australia, where it flourished in the colony of New South Wales and eventually became the country's most planted variety.

• Shiraz, originally an Australian name for Syrah, is now widely used
• Australia is home to the world's oldest continuously productive Shiraz vines, ungrafted, pre-phylloxera plantings believed to date back to 1843 (Langmeil, Barossa), 1847 (Turkey Flat, Barossa) and 1860 (Tahbilk, Nagambie Lakes, Victoria)
• Australia regained its pride in Shiraz in the late 1980s and early 1990s, having flirted with more recently imported Cabernet Sauvignon
• Syrah was enthusiastically planted in California in the 1990s by the so-called Rhône Rangers

In the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC, variety number 11748), Syrah's country of origin is France, its prime name is SYRAH and its berry skin colour is recorded as noir. Its pedigree, Mondeuse Blanche x Dureza, sits in the catalogue's field for pedigree confirmed by markers. This parentage rests on a single source. Syrah is also recorded as a parent of two other varieties: Durif (the subject of our Petite Sirah article), whose pedigree Syrah x Peloursin is confirmed by markers, with Peloursin Noir as the second parent, and Rubin, whose pedigree Nebbiolo x Syrah comes from breeder or bibliography records. Mondeuse Noire, whose pedigree is Mondeuse Blanche x Tressot, shares Mondeuse Blanche with Syrah as a parent.

• Parents: Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza (pedigree confirmed by markers)
• Country of origin: France
• VIVC prime name SYRAH, variety number 11748
• Offspring: Durif (Syrah x Peloursin) and Rubin (Nebbiolo x Syrah)

Syrah makes medium to full-bodied wine, with structure and flavour profile varying by region, climate and winemaking technique. The wines are typically deeply coloured, with medium-high tannin and medium acidity. Syrah is floral, peppery and structured, an assertive grape that produces colourful, aromatic wines. Typical characteristics include intense black fruit, savoury tapenade, distinct pepper spice, herbal liquorice notes and a violet lift. In moderate climates, Syrah can show peppery spice, herbaceousness and smokey characteristics. Wines in the Northern Rhône style show fine-grained tannins, higher acidity and a lean fruit profile with moderate body and alcohol. In the Barossa and McLaren Vale, Shiraz is generally richer and ripe-fruited, fuller in both body and alcohol, and in hotter regions riper, even jammy, fruit comes with sweet spice (liquorice) and dark chocolate. Rotundone is not necessarily exclusive to cool climates: Shiraz from cooler Australian regions such as Heathcote, Great Southern or Geelong can also show bold peppery characteristics.

In 2015 Syrah covered 190,000 ha and was grown in 31 countries. When national planting statistics were last collected, in 2015, Australia had around 40,000 ha of Shiraz, ranking second behind France (60,000 ha) and well ahead of third-placed Spain (20,000 ha); Australia's total Shiraz plantings stood at 39,893 ha in 2019-2020. France's Northern Rhône is the spiritual home of Syrah, from Côte-Rôtie through St-Joseph, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and down to Cornas, and South Australia, particularly the Barossa and McLaren Vale, is the home of Shiraz. This northern part of the Rhône can be much cooler than Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 150 km (93 mi) to the south.

• Northern Rhône (France): Cornas reds are single-varietal, while the Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage AOCs accept both single-varietal wines and blends
• Southern Rhône and Languedoc (France): Grenache is usually the key grape in Southern Rhône reds, with Syrah playing a key part, particularly in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; of the improving varieties encouraged in the Languedoc, Syrah has proved most at home, and it seems particularly successful in Costières de Nîmes and in the higher vineyards of Pic St-Loup and La Livinière
• Barossa Valley (South Australia): one of Australia's oldest and best known regions for Shiraz, with full-bodied, richly textured wines showing blackberry, pepper and spice; the Langmeil Freedom vineyard is believed to have been planted in 1843 and is still producing
• Eden Valley: part of the greater Barossa Zone and home to Henschke Hill of Grace, with higher-altitude vineyards and a harvest up to two weeks later than the Barossa Valley, giving medium to full-bodied wines with blackberry, sage and pepper notes
• McLaren Vale: a classic Mediterranean climate affected by the proximity of the sea, with Shiraz the most planted red variety and typically full-bodied wines with rich blueberry fruit and chocolate character
• Clare Valley: warm days suit the development of rich Shiraz flavours and consistently cool nights aid acid retention
• Heathcote: Shiraz is the most planted variety and thrives in ancient Cambrian soils over 500 million years old, giving medium to full-bodied wines with rich dark fruit, spice and an iron-like minerality
• Hunter Valley: Australia's oldest wine producing region, where Shiraz wines are typically medium-bodied with red fruit and savoury characters
• Cooler Victoria: cooler Victorian vineyards such as Mount Langi Ghiran and Craiglee make wine with some of the black pepper of good French Syrah and the weight of a South Australian Shiraz, and Shiraz can taste of black pepper in cooler regions such as Macedon
• United States: styles in California range from Paso Robles to Santa Barbara and Sonoma, and Washington State makes fine, bright examples, notably from the Walla Walla Valley and The Rocks of Milton Freewater AVA, which straddles Washington and Oregon
• South America and Europe: one guide calls Chile South America's Syrah star, thanks to high-altitude and/or cool-climate coastal vineyards, though Argentina has more planted; in Chile the variety was pioneered by Errázuriz; Italy, Spain (mostly Castilla-La Mancha) and Portugal (Alentejo) make some notable Syrahs

Syrah reds show fruity (raspberry, redcurrant, blueberry, blackberry), floral (violet, mignonette) and spicy (truffle, pepper, licorice, menthol) scents, and as the wine ages its characteristic violet aroma evolves towards more complex notes of musk, truffle, leather, pepper or licorice. Cool-climate Northern Rhône Syrah shows notes of black pepper and smoked meat, while warm-climate Barossa Shiraz often leans into riper, fruit-driven profiles where the peppery notes can be more subtle. The peppery note comes from rotundone, which is concentrated in the grape's skins; studies show that 20-25% of people are anosmic to rotundone, and it can be noticed in wine at parts per trillion. One critic calls black pepper the trademark flavour of French Syrah, and dark chocolate the trademark of Shiraz from Australia's hotter vineyards.

• Oak treatment, through barrel ageing or chips and staves, is common and adds toast, smoke, vanilla and coconut flavours
• A good Hermitage can mature into something more redolent of leather and, in very ripe years, spice
• In very general terms Shiraz tends to taste slightly sweet and can reach high alcohol levels
• In one critic's view, the most common fault in early vintages of the grape is letting it get overripe, producing rather sickly, flabby wine

Shiraz vinification techniques vary with style and quality: whole-bunch use has increased, though destemming is still very common. Oak is common for maturation, with less reliance on new oak, especially American, more use of French oak and combinations of different oak types, and older barrels for subtlety; some fresh, early-drinking styles see no oak at all. Extended maceration can boost rotundone because it comes from the grape skins, and decisions on how much the cap is stirred or pumped over are also thought to affect spice levels. Syrah is regularly blended with Grenache, boosting colour, tannin and acidity and adding dark fruit character.

• Australian blends: Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre (GSM) blends and the Shiraz Cabernet blend have a long tradition, and co-fermenting a small proportion of Viognier with Shiraz has led to the Shiraz Viognier style
• Côte-Rôtie: Syrah there makes more perfumed, slightly floral and refined wines, namely when co-fermented with a small percentage of Viognier
• Barossa: Barossa Valley Shiraz can be so rich that some producers deliberately add tannin to give the wines backbone

One critic's list of Hermitage labels runs to J L Chave, Paul Jaboulet Aîné La Chapelle and Chapoutier Le Pavillon, alongside Marcel Guigal's single-vineyard Côte Rôties La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque. For Crozes-Hermitage, which the same critic calls the best-value French Syrah by far, Graillot is the obvious example, with Pochon and Belle reliable. In Australia the same list calls Penfolds Grange Australia's most famous wine, put together from top lots of Shiraz grown in various locations in South Australia, and names Henschke's bottling from the Hill of Grace vineyard and d'Arenberg in McLaren Vale.

• Northern Rhône, from the same critic's list: J L Chave, Paul Jaboulet Aîné La Chapelle and Chapoutier Le Pavillon (Hermitage); Guigal La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque, and Gangloff (Côte Rôtie); Graillot, Pochon and Belle (Crozes-Hermitage)
• Australia, from the same list: Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, d'Arenberg (McLaren Vale), and Mount Langi Ghiran and Craiglee (Victoria)
• Elsewhere, from the same list: Qupé, Joseph Phelps and Jade Mountain (California); Stellenzicht, Simonsig and Saxenburg (South Africa); Errázuriz (Chile); Red Willow (Washington state)

Syrah has a long history in New Zealand, dating back to the mid-1800s, and over 90% of plantings are now in Hawke's Bay and Auckland/Northland, warmer regions that benefit from extended heat accumulation due to lower diurnal temperature variation. New Zealand Syrah is akin to the elegant Northern Rhône style, crammed with plum and savoury black pepper flavours and sometimes a hint of violets. Hawke's Bay has a temperate maritime climate with extremely diverse soils; in Auckland most plantings are on coastal Waiheke Island, where primarily clay-rich soils produce wines with substantial body and rich, brambly, peppery flavours. Central Otago, Waiheke Island and Hawke's Bay, particularly its pocket of Gimblett Gravels, are home to the country's top Syrahs.

• Hawke's Bay: temperate maritime climate with extremely diverse soils, giving dark, weighty wines with plum and black pepper flavours
• Auckland: most plantings on coastal Waiheke Island, on primarily clay-rich soils

Syrah is arguably South Africa's most exciting grape, having risen to star status over the past 15 years thanks mainly to dynamic producers in the Swartland region, and there are now world-class Syrah and Shiraz styles throughout the Cape winelands. Syrah has proved extremely adaptable in South Africa, in wines such as Stellenzicht, Simonsig and Saxenburg; these producers generally label their wines Shiraz, while some producers of particularly transparent, refreshing examples tend to label them Syrah. In one critic's view, South African examples can taste rather earthy and hot.

Shiraz pairs with charcuterie, grilled and roasted meats (lamb, beef and game), stews and casseroles, and firm, aged cheeses. Slow-roasted lamb, barbecued ribs or grilled vegetables with smoky paprika also suit it, and, for something unexpected, Shiraz with dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) spiced with chili, where the wine's peppery notes are thought to mirror the chili's heat. New Zealand Syrah matches Peking Duck, barbecued meats, beef served with a full flavoured sauce, and tomato-based dishes such as pizza or bolognese.

• Lamb, whether grilled, roasted or slow-roasted
• Charcuterie and firm, aged cheeses
• Barbecued ribs, or grilled vegetables with smoky paprika
• Peking Duck with New Zealand Syrah
• Dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) spiced with chili, with Shiraz

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=11748, https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=3738, https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=10233, https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=7921, https://www.vins-rhone.com/en/syrah-grape-variety, https://www.wineaustralia.com/market-insights/regions-and-varieties/shiraz, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2025/what-gives-syrahshiraz-its-peppery-spice, https://www.nzwine.com/en/winestyles/syrah/, https://www.oiv.int/public/medias/5888/en-distribution-of-the-worlds-grapevine-varieties.pdf. Secondary sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/red/syrah, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/red/shiraz, https://www.decanter.com/learn/syrah-shiraz-difference-51740/, https://www.decanter.com/learn/wset/syrah-and-shiraz-grapes-climatic-winery-influence-most-important-regions-wset-level-2-285043/, https://winefolly.com/grape-varieties/syrah/. Last verified 2026-10-04