Syrah / Shiraz

Inter Rhône notes that, 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. Jancis Robinson writes that the grape is known in the Rhône as Syrah and "may well have been grown there since Roman times". Decanter reports that until the 1970s French Syrah plantings were mostly concentrated in and around the vineyards of the Rhône Valley, that Syrah then surged in popularity throughout southern France, particularly in Languedoc-Roussillon, and that it is now France's third most planted red. In Australia, Wine Australia dates the first Shiraz plantings to the late 1700s, and Decanter reports that in 1832 James Busby, whom it calls 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.

• Jancis Robinson describes Shiraz as an originally Australian name for Syrah that is now widely used
• Wine Australia describes Australia as 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)
• Jancis Robinson writes that Australia regained its pride in Shiraz in the late 1980s and early 1990s, having flirted with more recently imported Cabernet Sauvignon
• Decanter reports that Syrah was enthusiastically planted in California in the 1990s by the so-called Rhône Rangers

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

• Parents, according to VIVC: Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza (pedigree confirmed by markers)
• Country of origin, according to VIVC: France
• VIVC prime name SYRAH, variety number 11748
• Offspring recorded by VIVC: 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. Inter Rhône describes Syrah as 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. WSET notes that 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.

The OIV reports that in 2015 Syrah covered 190,000 ha and was grown in 31 countries. Wine Australia reports that 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); it gives Australia's total Shiraz plantings as 39,893 ha in 2019-2020. Decanter names France's Northern Rhône as 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, as the home of Shiraz. Jancis Robinson writes that this northern part of the Rhône can be much cooler than Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 150 km (93 mi) to the south.

• Northern Rhône (France): Inter Rhône states that 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): Decanter notes that Grenache is usually the key grape in Southern Rhône reds, with Syrah playing a key part, particularly in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Jancis Robinson writes that of the improving varieties encouraged in the Languedoc, Syrah has proved most at home, and that it seems particularly successful in Costières de Nîmes and in the higher vineyards of Pic St-Loup and La Livinière
• Barossa Valley (South Australia): Wine Australia calls it one of Australia's oldest and best known regions for Shiraz, with full-bodied, richly textured wines showing blackberry, pepper and spice, and says the Langmeil Freedom vineyard is believed to have been planted in 1843 and is still producing
• Eden Valley (South Australia): part of the greater Barossa Zone, with higher-altitude vineyards and a harvest up to two weeks later than the Barossa Valley, according to Wine Australia, which describes medium to full-bodied wines with blackberry, sage and pepper notes
• McLaren Vale (South Australia): Wine Australia describes 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 (South Australia): Wine Australia says warm days suit the development of rich Shiraz flavours and consistently cool nights aid acid retention
• Heathcote (Victoria): Wine Australia says 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 (New South Wales): Wine Australia calls it Australia's oldest wine producing region, where Shiraz wines are typically medium-bodied with red fruit and savoury characters
• Cooler Victoria: Jancis Robinson writes that 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 that Shiraz can taste of black pepper in cooler regions such as Macedon
• United States: Decanter reports styles in California ranging from Paso Robles to Santa Barbara and Sonoma, and fine, bright examples in Washington State, notably from the Walla Walla Valley and The Rocks of Milton Freewater AVA, which straddles Washington and Oregon
• South America and Europe: Decanter calls Chile South America's Syrah star, thanks to high-altitude and/or cool-climate coastal vineyards, while noting that Argentina has more planted, and names Italy, Spain (mostly Castilla-La Mancha) and Portugal (Alentejo); Jancis Robinson writes that in Chile the variety was pioneered by Errázuriz

Inter Rhône describes fruity (raspberry, redcurrant, blueberry, blackberry), floral (violet, mignonette) and spicy (truffle, pepper, licorice, menthol) scents in Syrah reds, and says that as the wine ages its characteristic violet aroma evolves towards more complex notes of musk, truffle, leather, pepper or licorice. WSET describes cool-climate Northern Rhône Syrah with 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 WSET says is concentrated in the grape's skins; it cites studies showing that 20-25% of people are anosmic to rotundone, and says it can be noticed in wine at parts per trillion. Jancis Robinson calls black pepper the trademark flavour of French Syrah, and dark chocolate the trademark of Shiraz from Australia's hotter vineyards.

• Decanter (WSET series): oak treatment, through barrel ageing or chips and staves, is common and adds toast, smoke, vanilla and coconut flavours
• Jancis Robinson: a good Hermitage can mature into something more redolent of leather and, in very ripe years, spice
• Jancis Robinson: in very general terms Shiraz tends to taste slightly sweet and can reach high alcohol levels
• Jancis Robinson: the most common fault in early vintages of the grape is letting it get overripe, producing rather sickly, flabby wine

Wine Australia reports that 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. WSET says extended maceration can boost rotundone because it comes from the grape skins, and that decisions on how much the cap is stirred or pumped over are also said to affect spice levels. Decanter's WSET series says Syrah is regularly blended with Grenache, boosting colour, tannin and acidity and adding dark fruit character.

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

Jancis Robinson names J L Chave, Paul Jaboulet Aîné La Chapelle and Chapoutier Le Pavillon among Hermitage labels, and Marcel Guigal's single-vineyard Côte Rôties La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque. For Crozes-Hermitage, which she calls the best-value French Syrah by far, she names Graillot, with Pochon and Belle as reliable. In Australia she 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, which Wine Australia places in the Eden Valley, and d'Arenberg in McLaren Vale.

• Northern Rhône, as named by Jancis Robinson: 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, as named by Jancis Robinson: Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, d'Arenberg (McLaren Vale), and Mount Langi Ghiran and Craiglee (Victoria)
• Elsewhere, as named by Jancis Robinson: Qupé, Joseph Phelps and Jade Mountain (California); Stellenzicht, Simonsig and Saxenburg (South Africa); Errázuriz (Chile); Red Willow (Washington state)

New Zealand Winegrowers says Syrah has a long history in New Zealand, dating back to the mid-1800s, and that 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. It describes New Zealand Syrah as 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. Decanter names Central Otago, Waiheke Island and Hawke's Bay, particularly its pocket of Gimblett Gravels, as the home of the country's top Syrahs.

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

Decanter calls Syrah 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 says there are now world-class Syrah and Shiraz styles throughout the Cape winelands. Jancis Robinson writes that in South Africa Syrah has proved extremely adaptable, naming Stellenzicht, Simonsig and Saxenburg, and that these producers generally label their wines Shiraz, while some producers of particularly transparent, refreshing examples tend to label them Syrah. On her Shiraz page she writes that South African examples can taste rather earthy and hot.

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

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

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/. Last verified 2026-09-29