Syrah and Shiraz Are the Same Grape, but the Wines Are Worlds Apart
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What’s the difference between Syrah and Shiraz? Technically nothing, but don’t tell that to winemakers making bottles labeled with either one of those names, who will tell you it has a lot to do with geography, climactic conditions, and winemaking style. While it is called Syrah in France and across Europe and Shiraz in Australia and South Africa, enologists in New Zealand and Chile often prefer to use the European moniker, while winemakers in the U.S. and elsewhere can be divided on the term.
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Let’s knock one misconception out of the way right up front: Shiraz did not originate anywhere near the Persian city of the same name, and it is not an ancient grape that sprung up in the cradle of civilization. Its parents are two almost extinct French varieties, pointing to France as its home region, most likely in or around the Rh?ne Valley. James Busby, the father of Australian viticulture, first brought cuttings of the grape to Australia in 1832, and over time it took on the moniker Shiraz there. Johann Henschke, sixth-generation winemaker and viticulturalist at Henschke in South Australia, tells Robb Report that it’s believed that Busby’s Syrah cuttings were mislabeled “Scyras”when he brought them Down Under, and that over time, as they were cultivated by settlers in newly colonized parts of the country, the spelling and pronunciation evolved to “Shiraz.”
While some Australian winemakers are starting to label their bottles “Syrah,” especially in cooler regions, don’t expect Henschke Hill of Grace to change its varietal labeling anytime soon. Citing his love and respect for history and tradition and the fact that South Australia has some of the oldest Syrah/Shiraz vines in existence—some dating back to 1840—Henschke says, “My family will continue to grow Shiraz into the future and tell the stories of our unique region and single vineyards.”
As an American winemaker who also works in Australia, Chris Carpenter is in the unique position of making Syrah at Jett in Walla Walla, Washington, and Shiraz at Hickinbotham in South Australia. He says there was no consideration to labeling Jett “Shiraz” rather than “Syrah,” as the Australians “own that terminology.” Carpenter sees distinct differences between the Syrah grown in Washington and Australia. “Washington shows a lot more defined fruit with dark cherry and raspberry characters with that rhubarb spice,” he says. “At Hickinbotham in McLaren Vale, where I am part of the year, there is a minty, tapenade character that defines our vineyard, with a touch more of the darker fruits, boysenberry and huckleberry.” However, Syrah coming from America’s west coast and Australia are similar in texture ever since the Australian winemakers have “dialed back” the big, bold style of Shiraz that was popular in the ‘90s.
Some pundits posit that the nomenclature is a New World vs. Old World situation, which doesn’t explain why bottles from California or Washington may use either name. Paso Robles, on California’s Central Coast, seems to be evenly divided between use of the French and Australian terms for the grape. Farther north in Sonoma, Chalk Hill director of winemaking Darrell Holbrook thinks wine labeled as Shiraz is more likely to have been grown in a warmer climate with the intent of being fruit forward and lush with a firm tannin structure, whereas Syrah that’s grown in a cooler climate will tend to be darker colored, dense, and complex with good acidity. “The Chalk Hill AVA provides a cooler climate, and with the cooler-climate temperatures, a darker, richer color is captured and allows for longer hang time to produce a bold, rich, and dense wine,” he says.
At Michelin-starred Galit and sister restaurant Cafe Yaya in Chicago, beverage director Scott Stroemer has single-varietal Syrah from Morocco and Israel as well as Syrah blends from Lebanon, Israel, and California on his list. His selections include Thalvin-Alain Graillot Syrocco Syrah from Zenata, Morocco, and Pelter T-Selection Shiraz from Galilee, Israel. With its cultural ties to France, it makes sense that in Morocco the French name is used. While Israeli wineries may use the terms interchangeably, Stroemer thinks it’s more important to explain “Syrah’s adaptability to many different climates and how it’s the perfect grape for the Eastern Mediterranean” than to get caught up in why a particular word is chosen.
While it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact spot in France that Syrah first emerged, its spiritual home is definitely Hermitage, the northern Rh?ne appellation whose prized bottles are usually made with 100 percent of the grape despite that fact that up to 15 percent of white varieties Marsanne or Roussanne may be added. Caroline Frey, winemaker and proprietor of Jaboulet and La Chapelle, reminds us that the parentage of Syrah was discovered relatively recently, in 1998, laying to rest the myths about its Middle Eastern ancestry. She does not think Syrah and Shiraz are made in entirely opposing styles. “They are two sides of the same coin, and they should be a source of mutual inspiration,” she says. “Each brings its own unique characteristics and expressions, shaped by the different climates and terroirs where it’s grown.” Frey holds that by continuing to use the term “Shiraz,” Australian producers can set their wines apart from those made elsewhere and create their own identity.
“Australian wines made from this grape were often fruitier, bolder, and easier to drink than those from the Rh?ne, which are spicier and more structured,” Frey says. In addition to Australian Shiraz, she also enjoys versions from South Africa, as well as Syrah from the Valais in Switzerland. That said, she continues to root for the home team. “My heart still belongs to the Syrah from the Hermitage hill,” she says.
While South Africans often use a particular name to evoke a style, winemaker Duncan Savage uses the French label for his Savage Wines Girl Next Door Syrah for the simple reason that “it sounds way sexier.” Savage thinks that his countrymen’s use of Syrah is usually associated with a more elegant style, and while he believes that “at the end of the day it’s the same thing,” Syrah has a softer ring to it and works better for his style.
The fourth most widely planted red wine grape in the world (and sixth overall), Syrah is cultivated in just about every country that grows grapes, including unexpected places like Spain, Italy, India, Argentina, Chile, and New Zealand. Although it is loved by wine experts and industry professionals, it seems that consumers have still not caught on to it, preferring other red grapes and blends to Syrah’s hidden charms. The divide in style as being indicative of the naming preference seems to be more along cold climate-warm climate lines than Old World vs. New World, but either way you can expect abundant red fruit flavors, spice notes, and bold acidity. In the end, it doesn’t matter what’s in a name—it’s what’s in the bottle that counts.
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