Shiraz, or Syrah (as it is known in France and the U.S.), has become Australia’s superstar red grape variety, where it was introduced in the early 19th century. South Australia produces big, deep and intense Shiraz wines, often with dark fruit and peppery aromas. Syrah’s home is the Rhone valley in France, where its wines are drier and lighter in body and it produces some of the region’s most elegant reds such as Hermitage and Cote Rotie. |