Australia
Well, the Aussies are renowned for giving things bizarre names, chickens are ‘chooks’, flip flops are ‘thongs’ and a kiss is a ‘pash’. This slightly odd habit of theirs also extends to wine, since for them Syrah is in fact ‘Shiraz’. Even more bizarre, is the fact that the word ‘Shiraz’ actually has Persian origins, being the name of the capital of the Fars province – not an Aussie in sight. Back in the day there was a legend that a returning crusader called Guy de Sterimberg brought back cuttings of vines grown around the city, which would make sense given the name. It turns out that said legend was a load of twaddle though, as DNA tests revealed that Syrah/Shiraz was indigenous to France…so who knows what went on there!
Today ‘Shiraz’ is used more as a marketing term by the Aussies. Of course, they are very much aware of the fact that it is genetically the same grape as Syrah, but since the wines they make from it have a completely different style (much richer, fruitier and fuller bodied) to the typical Rhône Syrahs it helps both to create their own brand and simultaneously make life a lot easier for the consumer as they can quickly make a distinction between the two wines.
Critics have been pretty harsh on Australian wines in the past, and many have taken to dubbing them ‘Critter Wines’ due to the little animals they often have on their label…with names like ‘Yellow Tale’ and ‘Little Penguin’ I suppose you could argue there are kind of asking for it. Even so, quality wine production is becoming more and more prominent in Auz, with Penfolds Grange and Henschke now being ranked as one of the most expensive wines in the world, amongst the Burgundies at £3,045 and £3,455 respectively per case.
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Today ‘Shiraz’ is used more as a marketing term by the Aussies. Of course, they are very much aware of the fact that it is genetically the same grape as Syrah, but since the wines they make from it have a completely different style (much richer, fruitier and fuller bodied) to the typical Rhône Syrahs it helps both to create their own brand and simultaneously make life a lot easier for the consumer as they can quickly make a distinction between the two wines.
Critics have been pretty harsh on Australian wines in the past, and many have taken to dubbing them ‘Critter Wines’ due to the little animals they often have on their label…with names like ‘Yellow Tale’ and ‘Little Penguin’ I suppose you could argue there are kind of asking for it. Even so, quality wine production is becoming more and more prominent in Auz, with Penfolds Grange and Henschke now being ranked as one of the most expensive wines in the world, amongst the Burgundies at £3,045 and £3,455 respectively per case.
Have a click on the map below to learn more about specific regions...
