Regional Diversity of Shiraz (Syrah)

[KMP]

As I read it, and I could well be wrong (but I doubt it), the predominant viewpoint outside Australia is that Shiraz is an Australian wine; this is probably not a bad thing even though its all wrapped up in a name. The second generalization (outside Australia) that seems to exist is that Shiraz comes from either South Eastern Australia ([yellow tail]) or the Barossa. True there are those that know better but they are a minority, and even fewer in number are those who have tasted Shiraz from multiple regions within Australia.

So the question becomes how do you make the world aware that in Australia Shiraz is far more diverse than most drinkers of generic Aussie Shiraz could even imagine? In fact is there any other country where there is such regional diversity in Shiraz/Syrah? Not France, not South Africa, not even New Zealand (although I think it has great potential there esp when you taste across the diversity that is within just the Hawkes Bay region), and not in the US because over here the diversity seems (to me) more the influence of the winemaker than the region.

Its it adequate to simply make the statement that “Every style emerged from elegant, peppery cool climate styles (Heathcote in Victoria) to more intensely flavoured spicy styles of Coonawarra and Margaret River to powerful and minty (Clare Valley), sweet and chocolaty (McLaren Vale), muscular, and ripe-fruited (Barossa), and leather and rich (Hunter Valley).” as Wine Australia does.

Or is it more telling to produce a range of wines that display the regional diversity like Two Hands do with their Garden Series and Kilikanoon do with their Regional Series.

Is it useful to go even further as Chateau Tanunda has done with their Terroirs of the Barossa that are sub-region specific?

Or do you use different names like calling some wines Syrah?

What do people think is the answer?

Mike

[RogerPike]

42

[KMP]

42

I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe!

EDIT: If you type the answer to life, the universe and everything into Google (without quotes or capitalising the small words), the Google Calculator will give you 42.

This does work!

[trentwine]

Mike
I don't confess to knowing the answer, but I am doing a PhD project at Adelaide Uni looking at the different sensory properties of Shiraz from 10 different Shiraz regions around the country. Once all of the data is in, we might go some way to providing an aswer.
As part of the project, I will be doing some consumer tastings later in the year (in Adelaide, which is probably no use to you) and I will have an internet based questionnaire that all forumites may access and I would encourage them to complete it (and register for the tastings).
Cheers

Trent

[KMP]

Mike
I don't confess to knowing the answer, but I am doing a PhD project at Adelaide Uni looking at the different sensory properties of Shiraz from 10 different Shiraz regions around the country. Once all of the data is in, we might go some way to providing an aswer.
As part of the project, I will be doing some consumer tastings later in the year (in Adelaide, which is probably no use to you) and I will have an internet based questionnaire that all forumites may access and I would encourage them to complete it (and register for the tastings).
Cheers

Trent

Sounds like an interesting and useful project.

When will you do your taste test? I have been known to be in Adelaide around Nov/Dec.

Mike