Syrah Wine

Syrah is a dark-skinned red wine grape whose origins have popularly debated but whose spiritual home is unquestionably the northern Rhone Valley in the east of France. In Australia the variety is known as Shiraz, the name of a town in Persia (modern day Iran) from which the variety was long thought to have originally come.

One of the world's most diverse and successful grape varieties, Syrah has now made its presence felt in the vineyards and wines of countries as diverse as France, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, the USA, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and Australia (as Shiraz). It now ranks among the most widely planted wine grape varieties in the world, and consumer demand for Syrah and Shiraz wines shows little sign of abating in the early 21st century.

Among the world's most famous Syrah wines are the peppery, earthy reds of the northern Rhone, specifically of the Cote-Rotie, Hermitage and Saint-Joseph appellations. While Hermitage has been held in high regard for many centuries, the 'roasted slopes' of the Cote Rotie have emerged as a source of powerhouse Syrah only towards the end of the 20th century. Saint-Joseph, in response to the increasing demand for Rhone Syrah, went through various geographical expansions in the 1970s, some of which have proved less than judicious, meaning that the appellation's output of Syrah is less reliable than that of its smaller neighbors.

One of Syrah's most valued assets is its ability to produce wines capable of ageing and improving over many decades. Syrah from the Rhone valley was even once used by Bordeaux winemakers seeking to beef up their wines in cooler vintages, and to increase their cellaring potential. Tannat and Malbec from Madiran and Cahors were also used in this way, although neither of these grapes produces such long-lived wines as those made on the hill of Hermitage. So respected was the wine from this south-facing granite hill that its name was long used as a synonym for Syrah in Australia. A well-built Hermitage requires ten years or more to relax into its plummy, spicy fullness, and will reward cellaring for a further decade at least.

Several hundred miles up the Rhone Valley from Hermitage, near the river's origins at the Rhone Glacier, Syrah has found a warm welcome in the Valais, on whose warm, sheltered slopes it can produce remarkably full, complex wines. A further 450 (725km) east, and the variety is found enjoying the climate of eastern Austria's Burgenland, moderated by the waters of Lake Neusiedl.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, 6000 miles (9,600km) west of the Rhone, Syrah has a cult following in the western United States, where it has found a warm welcome in California, Washington and Oregon. While it has not seen the run-away success enjoyed by Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel, nor the feverish worship bestowed on Pinot Noir, a dedicated band of America winemakers have been devotedly working with Syrah since the 1970s. Known as the Rhone Rangers, these men and women have proven than the variety can produce complex, rich wines in all three of these states, given the appropriate terroir.

Another 6000 miles southwards, following the Rockies and Andes down the spine of America, Syrah has been proving itself in both Chile and Argentina for at least twenty years now, and is finding its own style on either side of the Andean peaks. As far away again, across the vast Southern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Syrah has again found success in South Africa and Australia respectively. In these countries it has undergone a minor personality change, and is known as Shiraz, which is another story again.