Shiraz

Shiraz is a bold, dry red best known from Australia, packed with ripe blackberry, black cherry and plum alongside black pepper, spice and often a touch of chocolate. Full-bodied, rich and warming, it’s brilliant with steak, BBQ ribs, burgers, roast lamb, sausages, brisket and slow-cooked beef.

Taste:

Big fruit, big spice and plenty of swagger.

Shiraz is typically dry and full-bodied, with moderate to firm tannins and loads of ripe dark fruit. Expect blackberry, black cherry, blueberry and plum, often joined by black pepper, liquorice and warming spice.

Australian Shiraz can be particularly rich and fruit-forward, and oak ageing may bring flavours of vanilla, chocolate, mocha, toast or smoke into the mix. Mature bottles can develop more savoury notes of leather, tobacco and dried fruit.

Styles vary depending on where it’s grown, but if you like your reds generous, warming and absolutely not short on flavour, Shiraz understood the brief.

Food Pairings:

Shiraz loves anything smoky, grilled or slow-cooked.

Steak is a brilliant place to start, particularly ribeye, sirloin, fillet or peppercorn steak. It also works beautifully with roast beef, beef short ribs, slow-cooked beef, beef stew and brisket.

At a BBQ, pair Shiraz with BBQ ribs, burgers, pulled pork, smoky sausages, grilled steak, barbecued chicken or lamb kebabs. Its ripe fruit and spice are particularly good with sweet, smoky and sticky BBQ sauces.

Lamb is another easy win. Try roast lamb, lamb chops, lamb shank or slow-cooked lamb shoulder, especially with rosemary, garlic or black pepper.

For meat-free options, try mushroom pie, mushroom stew, smoky bean chilli, lentil casserole, grilled aubergine or roasted peppers.

Mature Cheddar, aged Gouda and other strong hard cheeses have enough flavour to keep up too.

Similar Wines:

First things first: Syrah is the same grape. The name Shiraz is particularly associated with Australia and often signals a riper, richer and more fruit-forward style.

If that big dark-fruit character is what you love, Malbec is an excellent next move.

Zinfandel brings similarly generous fruit and spice, while Cabernet Sauvignon offers dark fruit with firmer tannins and more structure.

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More About Shiraz:

Shiraz is the name most famously used in Australia for the grape known as Syrah in France and many other parts of the world.

The grape arrived in Australia in the 19th century and went on to become one of the country's signature varieties. Today, regions including the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Hunter Valley are particularly well known for it.

Not all Australian Shiraz tastes the same. Warm regions can produce intensely ripe, powerful wines, while cooler areas can deliver fresher styles with more pepper, spice and savoury character.

And despite a few entertaining theories over the years, Shiraz doesn't come from the ancient Persian city of Shiraz. It's genetically French.

Great story. Wrong country.