Syrah and Shiraz: two styles from one and the same grape
71 bouteilles, du shiraz de la Barossa à la syrah du SwartlandBlack pepper, violet, dark fruit flesh held by a straight acidity: that is the signature you find from one continent to the next. Yet the same grape changes face according to the heat it receives, to the point of carrying two names on the label.
The range follows that great divide. On one side the northern style, tight, floral, peppery, which you meet in Swartland, in Washington State or on the Chilean coast. On the other the Shiraz style, ripe and generous, from the Barossa to McLaren Vale, with oak as its signature. Between the two, a whole range of prices, from the midweek red to the collector's bottle.
Porseleinberg - Syrah 2021
Recognized worldwide as one of the most beautiful Syrahs in the world
Francis Ford Coppola - Rosso & Bianco Rosso 2018
Cave des Amandiers - Syrah 2022
Syrah grown right up into the mountains: ripe, peppery and smoky on velvety tannins.
Torres - Salmos Syrah 2019
Syrah from Priorat's schist: blackberry and violet on a dense, mineral frame.
Santa Rita - 120 Special Reserve Syrah 2022
Mûre, poivre et fumée, une syrah chilienne charpentée sans lourdeur.
Savage Wines - Savage Red 2022
A Syrah worked in lace, intense and magnificently balanced.
Sine Qua Non - The Hated Hunter Syrah 2017
Rockford - Rod & Spur Shiraz Cabernet 2019
A sumptuous Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon duo from the Barossa Valley
Pete's Pure - Shiraz 2021
Blackberry, plum and black pepper: a generous Australian Shiraz with smooth tannins.
Koerner - Leko Red 2021
A completely atypical blend, combining finesse and complexity.
Lourens Family Wines - Howard John 2023
A fine and precise red blend, from Swartland vines
Dona Paula - Altitude Series 1100 2019
Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah come together to create this complex and balanced cuvée
Shaw & Smith - Shiraz 2021
High-altitude Syrah from the Adelaide Hills: blackberry and pepper, power held in check by freshness.
Groot Constantia - Lady of Abundance 2021
An astonishing blend with flavors of black fruits and spices
Ceretto - Langhe Rosso Mosordo 2022
Three international grape varieties united in the heart of the Langhe, with deep black fruit.
Bousquet - Gran Malbec 2020
An assembled Malbec, dense and complex, from the Gualtallary highlands
Diemersfontein - Shiraz 2023
A fusion of cherries, spices and violet
The great terroirs of Syrah
This grape variety needs heat to ripen its tannins and cool nights to keep its perfume. Each region tips the balance one way or the other, and the taste of the wine follows that balance.
| Pays et région | Climat et sol | Le profil du vin | Une bouteille du rayon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swartland, Afrique du SudSchiste et granite, vieilles vignes sèches | Méditerranéen chaud, brises atlantiques, roche pauvre | Poivre, fruit noir serré, tanin fin, vendange en grappes entières | Porseleinberg Syrah 202199,90 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
| Stellenbosch, Afrique du SudPentes granitiques du Simonsberg | Océan proche, nuits fraîches, granite décomposé | Fruit mûr encadré par une acidité vive, élevage discret | Glenelly Glass Collection Syrah 202116,80 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6 |
| Barossa Valley, AustralieVignes centenaires sur sols rouges profonds | Hot and dry, rare rainfall, very deep rooting | Shiraz dense, prune, cacao, chêne assumé | Rockford Basket Press Shiraz 2019105 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
| McLaren Vale, AustralieGolfe Saint-Vincent, sables et calcaire | Chaud, tempéré par la brise marine de l'après-midi | Plus souple que la Barossa, fruit bleu, finale saline | Bondar Violet Hour Shiraz 202124,90 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6 |
| État de Washington, États-UnisVallée de la Columbia, basalte et loess | Continental, sheltered from the rain by the Cascades | Olive noire, cerise, profil proche du Rhône nord | Tenet Syrah The Pundit 202033 € la bouteille, par lot de 3 |
| Côte centrale, CalifornieCollines côtières ouvertes sur le Pacifique | Matinées de brouillard, journées lumineuses et sèches | Concentration extrême, texture veloutée, élevage long | Sine Qua Non Distenta III Syrah 2021380 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
| Vallées côtières, ChiliAconcagua et Colchagua, graviers alluviaux | Pacifique tout proche, courant froid de Humboldt | Fruit noir frais, poivre, tanin ferme et droit | Errazuriz La Cumbre 2019112 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
| Salta et Mendoza, ArgentineVignes andines au-delà de mille mètres | Semi-aride, nuits froides, sols pauvres et drainants | Violette, fruit éclatant, acidité tenue par l'altitude | El Porvenir Pequeñas Fermentaciones GSM 202222,50 € la bouteille, à l'unité |
The map carries on elsewhere: the Swiss Valais draws haute-couture alpine reds from it, Catalonia blends it with Grenache and Carignan around Priorat, in Spain, the Lebanese Bekaa pairs it with Cinsault, and Martinborough signs a fine version in New Zealand.
Température, carafe et moment d'ouverture
One and the same grape variety, two ways of showing it at the table. The taut style gains from being served cool and fairly young, the ripe style asks for volume in the glass and a little patience.
| Le style de la bouteille | Température et carafe | Quand l'ouvrir | Le plat qui lui répond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday fruity Shiraz | 14 à 15 degrés, service direct | Within its first three years | Burger, saucisses grillées, pizza au chorizo |
| Syrah poivrée de climat frais | 15 à 16 degrés, carafe d'une demi-heure | Entre trois et huit ans | Duck breast, herb-crusted lamb, ratatouille |
| Syrah du Cap vinifiée en grappes entières | 16 degrés, carafe d'une heure | Entre cinq et dix ans | Leg of lamb, apricot tagine, stuffed peppers |
| Shiraz mûre de la Barossa | 16 à 17 degrés, carafe d'une heure | Entre cinq et quinze ans | Côte de bœuf, barbecue fumé, viandes laquées |
| Assemblage rhodanien, grenache et mourvèdre | 16 degrés, carafe légère | Entre trois et dix ans | Daube, plats mijotés, fromages de brebis |
| Syrah andine d'altitude | 15 à 16 degrés, carafe d'une demi-heure | Entre cinq et douze ans | Empanadas, bœuf grillé au chimichurri |
| Grand flacon de garde | 17 degrés, carafe de deux heures | Au-delà de dix ans | Gibier à plume, pigeon rôti, truffe noire |
Served too warm, this family of wines loses its peppery perfume and lets the alcohol step in front: a quarter of an hour somewhere cool before the meal is enough to restore the balance. The supplest bottles join our fruity reds, the firmest ones our tannic reds.
A bottle for every mood
Eight ways in, from the midweek red to the bottle you keep for years.
Goûter le style australien à petit prix
Grapes picked at night in Murray Darling, ripe red fruit and a rounded palate. The simplest way to set your Shiraz benchmark.
Pete's Pure Shiraz 2021 · 11,90 € la bouteille, à l'unitéFilling the cellar for the week
Blackberry, pepper and smoke, a firmly built Chilean Syrah that keeps its freshness. The everyday red for the grill or a slow-cooked dish.
Santa Rita 120 Reserva Especial Syrah 2022 · 9,90 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Comprendre McLaren Vale en un verre
Une shiraz de référence sur la région, fruit bleu, réglisse et tanin souple. Le classique australien à mettre sur une viande grillée.
D'Arenberg The Footbolt 2020 · 18,50 € la bouteille, par caisse de 6Prendre une seule bouteille du Cap
Pressée en grappes entières et élevée un an en fûts de 500 litres, au plus vieux domaine du pays. Structure fine, parfum épicé.
Groot Constantia Shiraz 2021 · 25,90 € la bouteille, à l'unitéRetrouver le Rhône nord au Cap
Élevage de vingt-quatre mois en fût de 500 litres, levures indigènes, mise sans filtration. Griotte, réglisse et poivre, tanins fondus.
Dorrance Cuvée Ameena 2022 · 31,50 € la bouteille, à l'unitéA Rhône native born in Washington State
A project run by two Rhône growers on soils that recall Saint-Joseph. Partial whole-bunch fermentation, black olive and cherry.
Tenet Syrah The Pundit 2020 · 33 € la bouteille, par lot de 3La référence du Swartland
Slate and granite, old dry-farmed vines, whole bunches and large oak vats (foudres). A bottle built for fifteen years in the cellar.
Porseleinberg Syrah 2021 · 99,90 € la bouteille, à l'unitéSuivre la piste du Swartland
Terre noire, vignes sèches et vinifications en douceur : la région qui a remis l'Afrique du Sud sur la carte mondiale de ce cépage.
Page du rayon · Swartland
Pourquoi le même raisin donne deux vins
The peppery note comes from a molecule, rotundone, which forms in the skin when the nights stay cool late in ripening. In a temperate climate it leads the glass. Under a stronger sun the berry gains sugar and flesh, the rotundone fades and candied fruit takes its place: that is the first divide, set by the thermometer.
The second comes down to the grower's hand. A harvest kept with its stems brings tension, a floral perfume and a finer frame. Ageing in new barrels, often American oak, adds the vanilla and coconut associated with the Shiraz style. Between these two gestures lies the whole palette of the range.
Comment on choisit
We taste every cuvée before listing it, and with this grape variety we look at two things: the clarity of the pepper and the fruit on the attack, then the way the tannin ends the palate. A wine whose oak smothers the fruit stays in the cloakroom, however handsome the label. Style comes next, from the midweek red to the bottle for keeping.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
Ce qu'on nous demande sur la syrah
Are Syrah and Shiraz the same grape variety?
Yes, one and the same variety, born in the Rhône Valley. The name follows the country: Australia and South Africa say Shiraz, while France, Chile, Argentina and Switzerland write Syrah. Some estates play on both words to signal a style, Shiraz for a ripe and generous wine, Syrah for a tighter one.
Comment distinguer une syrah du Cap d'une shiraz australienne au goût ?
Swartland and Stellenbosch give tight black fruit, pepper, a fine frame and restrained alcohol at around 13.5%. Barossa and McLaren Vale offer a broader palate, plum and cocoa, with the mark of oak and more volume. The first calls for roast lamb, the second for a rib of beef.
Pourquoi ces vins partent-ils souvent par lot ou par caisse ?
The estates we follow ship their cuvées in full cases, and keeping that packaging is what lets us hold the price down. The price shown is always the price per bottle, with the sales format given right beside it. Several cuvées remain available as single bottles, such as the Groot Constantia Shiraz 2021 at €25.90 a bottle.
À quelle température servir ces bouteilles ?
Allow 15–16 °C for a peppery cool-climate Syrah, 16–17 °C for a ripe Barossa Shiraz, 14–15 °C for an everyday fruity red. A heated room quickly climbs above 20 °C: a quarter of an hour somewhere cool before serving gives the wine back its perfume and its freshness.
Faut-il carafer une syrah ?
Young concentrated cuvées gain from an hour in a decanter: the air rounds the tannin and releases the fruit. Bottles more than ten years old call for gentleness instead, simply pulling the cork half an hour earlier is enough, or a quick pass through a decanter to leave the sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
Combien de temps se gardent ces vins ?
A fruity entry-level Shiraz is drunk within its first three years, when the fruit is at its clearest. A terroir cuvée holds for five to ten years, and the great bottles of Swartland, the Barossa or the Californian coast go beyond fifteen years in a cool cellar, at around 12 °C.
Que veut dire une vinification en grappes entières ?
The grower keeps the stem, that small green frame carrying the berries, instead of removing it before fermentation. It brings freshness, a floral and peppery perfume, a more slender frame. Swartland and Washington State have made it a style marker, just like the northern Rhône that inspires them.
Which dishes go with this grape variety?
The peppery style loves herb-crusted lamb, duck breast, sun-ripened vegetables and sheep's cheeses. The ripe style stands up to the barbecue, glazed meats, chilli and spicy dishes. For a great bottle for keeping, aim for feathered game, roast pigeon or a truffled dish.
Are Petite Sirah and Syrah the same thing?
Two distinct grape varieties. Petite Sirah, also called Durif, was born in France from a cross between Syrah and Peloursin. It gives deeply coloured, tannic and rustic wines, above all in California, where it often serves as backbone in a blend. Our range meets it in just that way, as a small complementary share.
Par quelle bouteille commencer ?
Take a fruity red at around €10 to set the benchmark, then a terroir cuvée at around €30: those two glasses already tell you the whole gap in style. To go further, the Wines of South Africa page covers the Cape, and Wines of Australia opens the door to the Barossa.