red grape · major international
Syrah
Northern Rhône Valley, France
Say it
sih·rah
Marketed as "Shiraz" (shi-RAZ) in Australia and South Africa; both names refer to the identical grape.
On the palate
How you spot it blind: rotundone-driven black pepper aroma, measurably amplified in cool-climate sites
The story
First written down · 1781, Tain-l'Hermitage, Northern Rhône, France
In 1998 Carole Meredith's UC Davis team proved via DNA fingerprinting that Syrah is a cross of Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche, two obscure southeastern French varieties, disproving the long-standing Persian-origin myth.
Family tree: Mondeuse Blanche × Dureza
Where it lives
Northern Rhône, France · Barossa Valley, Australia · McLaren Vale, Australia · Languedoc-Roussillon, France · Paso Robles, California · Washington State · Stellenbosch, South Africa · Mendoza, Argentina
Shows up as
If you like this, try
Also answers to Shiraz.
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