A noble black grape variety grown particularly in the Northern Rhône where it
produces the great red wines of Hermitage, Cote Rôtie and
Cornas, and in Australia where it produces wines of startling depth and
intensity. Reasonably low yields are a crucial factor for quality as is picking
at optimum ripeness. Its heartland,
Hermitage and
Côte Rôtie, consists of 270 hectares of steeply terraced vineyards
producing wines that brim with pepper, spices, tar and black treacle when
young. After 5-10 years they become smooth and velvety with pronounced fruit
characteristics of damsons, raspberries, blackcurrants and loganberries. It is
now grown extensively in the Southern
Rhône where it is blended with Grenache
and Mourvèdre to produce the great red wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and
Gigondas amongst others. Its spiritual home in Australia is the Barossa
Valley, where there are plantings dating as far back as 1860. Australian
Shiraz tends to be sweeter than its Northern Rhône counterpart and the best
examples are redolent of new leather, dark chocolate, liquorice, and prunes and
display a blackcurrant lusciousness. South African producers such as Eben Sadie are now
producing world- class Shiraz wines that represent astonishing value for money.