The Best and Most popular Shiraz

Shiraz

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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.