Shiraz

One of the original grape varieties brought into Australia, Shiraz is Australia’s best known and most widely planted variety. You can find Shiraz growing in virtually every wine region in Australia, particularly the Barossa Valley.
This adaptable grape can be grown in moderate to cool regions as well as warm to moderate regions where it thrives. The flavour and structure of the wine varies depending on region, climate and of course, winemaking techniques, however, you can expect medium to full-bodied wines with typical flavours including spice, red fruit, pepper and black fruit.
Barossa Shiraz is one of the most widely available and best-known red wines globally with Penfolds Grange, perhaps one of the most famous and collectable Australian Shiraz, coming from here. Shiraz from the Barossa is full-bodied, bold, richly textured with blackberry, pepper and spice characters.
Shiraz from cooler climates in Australia, such as Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, produce more savoury and medium-bodied styles. Showing a lot of diversity, they make a great food-matching wine. Characteristics you can expect from cooler-climate Shiraz are attractive pepper and spice aromas and fine tannins and acid structure.
A few facts about Shiraz:
Planted in 1843, the world’s oldest and still producing Shiraz vines are found in the Barossa Valley at the Langmeil Vineyard.
A uniquely Australian application of Shiraz is to blend it with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Shiraz has been a uniquely Australian name. Most of the world refers to the grape as Syrah, the French name.
Shiraz, however, is now so widely recognised and highly marketable that the naming convention is now common in the US, South America and Israel. There are also a handful of producers in France labelling their wines as Shiraz.
Due to the strong tannins and concentrated flavours, Shiraz is very age-worthy with age giving the wine a rounded, gentler character.
The vast majority of the world’s plantings of Syrah are located in France, primarily in the Rhone region which extensive DNA testing concluded is where the grape originated.
Food pairing – red meat, lamb, venison, light cheese
Best Shiraz Wine (from wine-searcher.com, based on scores from a wide range of critics, updated monthly)
Wine Name | Region | Score | Avg Price |
---|---|---|---|
Greenock Creek Vineyard & Cellars Roennfeldt Road Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 95 | AU $440 |
Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley | Eden Valley | 95 | AU $852 |
Penfolds Grange Bin 95, Australia | Australia | 95 | AU $812 |
Chris Ringland Dry Grown Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 95 | AU $1,500 |
Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz, Eden Valley | Eden Valley | 94 | AU $209 |
Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz, McLaren Vale | McLaren Vale | 94 | AU $248 |
Penfolds Bin 170 Kalimna Vineyard Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa | 94 | AU $1,891 |
Greenock Creek Vineyard & Cellars Creek Block Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 94 | AU $184 |
Clarendon Hills Astralis Shiraz, McLaren Vale | McLaren Vale | 94 | AU $328 |
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley | Clare Valley | 94 | AU $308 |
Tyrrell's Wines Old Patch 1867 Shiraz, Hunter Valley | Hunter Valley | 94 | AU $108 |
Paradise IV Wines Dardel Shiraz, Geelong, Australia | Geelong | 94 | AU $71 |
Tyrrell's Wines Four Acres Shiraz, Hunter Valley | Hunter Valley | 93 | AU $107 |
Mount Langi Ghiran 'Langi' Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Grampians | 93 | AU $100 |
Two Hands Wines Ares Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $204 |
Seppelt St Peters Great Western Vineyards Shiraz, Australia | Great Western | 93 | AU $76 |
R Wines 'The Wine' Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $164 |
Wendoree Shiraz, Clare Valley | Clare Valley | 93 | AU $197 |
Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Shiraz, Hunter Valley | Hunter Valley | 93 | AU $220 |
Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz, South Australia | South Australia | 93 | AU $137 |
Rusden 'Sandscrub' Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $506 |
Best's Great Western 'Thomson Family' Shiraz, Great Western | Great Western | 93 | AU $209 |
Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley | Hunter Valley | 93 | AU $164 |
Penfolds RWT - Bin 798 Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $198 |
Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $118 |
List comes from wine-searcher.com and based on average price and scores from a wide range of critics, updated monthly. |
Most popular Shiraz Wine (from wine-searcher.com, based on frequency, updated monthly)
Wine Name | Region | Score | Avg Price |
---|---|---|---|
Penfolds Grange Bin 95, Australia | Australia | 95 | AU $812 |
PenfoldsSt. Henri Shiraz, South Australia | South Australia | 95 | AU $137 |
Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz, Eden Valley | Eden Valley | 95 | AU $852 |
Penfolds RWT - Bin 798 Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 95 | AU $198 |
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, South Australia | South Australia | 94 | AU $46 |
d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz, McLaren Vale | McLaren Vale | 94 | AU $76 |
Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 94 | AU $166 |
Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 94 | AU $118 |
Clarendon Hills Astralis Shiraz, McLaren Vale | McLaren Vale | 94 | AU $328 |
Henschke Mount Edelstone Shiraz, Eden Valley | Eden Valley | 94 | AU $209 |
Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 94 | AU $31 |
Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz, Coonawarra, Australia | Coonawarra | 94 | AU $53 |
Mollydooker Carnival of Love Shiraz, McLaren Vale | McLaren Vale | 93 | AU $111 |
Two Hands Wines Bella's Garden Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $80 |
Jim Barry The Armagh Shiraz, Clare Valley | Clare Valley | 93 | AU $308 |
Torbreck The Factor Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $138 |
Two Hands Wines Ares Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $204 |
Two Hands Wines Zippy's Block Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $100 |
Grant Burge Mashach Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $137 |
Chris Ringland Dry Grown Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $1,500 |
Elderton Command Single Vineyard Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $109 |
Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz, McLaren Vale | McLaren Vale | 93 | AU $248 |
Kellermeister Wild Witch Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $86 |
Torbreck The Struie Shiraz, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $69 |
Torbreck The Laird, Barossa Valley | Barossa Valley | 93 | AU $835 |
List comes from wine-searcher.com and based on average price and scores from a wide range of critics, updated monthly. |