BYOB ('cos your not having mine!) (Shiraz in general)

Member Name: Ophelia

Product:	Shiraz in general
Date:	11/12/01 (137 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Deep, peppery, rich

Disadvantages: Hangovers

Alright Cobber! (Excuse the appalling Australian accent).

Shiraz is the Australian and South African name for syrah. It is an adaptable grape and is grown around the world. The location of the vineyard has an effect on the style of the wine but as a generalisation the grape tends to be tannic, richly fruity with mulberry, raspberry and cassis and spicy undercurrents.

AUSTRALIA

Shiraz from Australia will tend to be more full bodied and richer than wine from France. It is widely grown and there are few producers who do not make a wine from the grape. The main growing regions are detailed below.

The Hunter Valley: shiraz from this region can be extremely heavy and leathery and the best bottle to purchase would be from Rothbury, which has developed into a lovely spicy, peppery style. The wines from the Lower Hunter Valley tend to be of better quality, while the Upper Hunter Valley tend to be softer and sweeter. The best vintages from this region are 1986 and 1987.

Ovens Valley: lighter and more fragrant with hints of pepper. Best buy from Wynns vineyard. Best vintages 1985, 1986 and 1990.

Barossa Valley: big, bold and chocolatey. Best producers include Peter Lehmann and the vintage to look out for is 1990.

And for something a little more interesting to tickle your tastebuds, why not try a sparkling shiraz! Yes – a sparkling red wine! Seppelt produce an excellent fizzy one.

SOUTH AFRICA

The South African shiraz is a poor cousin to the Australian and tends to be much softer and rather herby in taste. The best years are 1984 and 1986. However, there is little to recommend the South African shiraz and, if buying from the region a better buy would be their own invention, the pinotage, a cross of pinot noir and cinsault.

FRANCE

Here the grape is known as syrah and is grown predominately in the Northern Rhone. The wines tend to be more tannic than those from
the New World and are often improved by ageing.

Cote Rotie: a more fragrant wine. Some absolutely stunning wines come from this region, within which are located some fantastic producers, including Guigal.

Hermitage: a more robust wine, full bodied and highly tannic with lots of blackcurrant and raspberry fruit, packs a punch and a good buy for laying down. More extremely reknowned producers are located here, including Chapoutier and Jaboulet. Many of these producers also make wine from the Crozes Hermitage region, which is a less demanding wine and makes for easier drinking.

Cornas: a rich, black, chocolatey and jammy wine, which is often underappreciated and, therefore, also lower priced. A good region from which to pick up a bargain!

Southern Rhone: here the shiraz grape is used but it is normally blended with grenache, which is the main grape of the region.

The best vintages from the Rhone are 1989 and 1988.

CALIFORNIA

In this region there are a group of producers known as the ‘Rhone Rangers’ led by the innovative and eccentric Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon, who have fallen in love with the grape and are beginning to plant it in abundance. It is, however relatively knew to the region, so watch this space!

CRACK OPEN THAT BOTTLE

The big tannic wines of the Rhone make them suitable for drinking with turkey and trimmings, so are ideal for having with your Christmas dinner. If you decide to lay the wine down to wait for the tannins to soften and blossom then 4 to 16 years is ideal for this variety.

The rich wines of Australia make them ideal for drinking with game or venison. So, next time you are tucking into your pheasant or jugged hare, ensure you have a glass of shiraz in your hand.

Bottoms up!

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