Australia’s Most Famous Red Wine Is Having an Identity Crisis

By WineBottleMag
January 9, 2025
Australias Crisis Famous Identity Red Wine
With 0 comments

When big, boozy reds occupied most of the thrones in the wine world’s royal court, Australian Shiraz wore a purple-teethed crown. Heavily oaked, high-alcohol iterations were beloved far and wide, making Aussie Shiraz a global brand with a $51 million U.S. market.

But every reign has its detractors—and defectors. In recent years, wine drinkers worldwide started to favor lighter, lower-alcohol wines. Winemaking evolved, too, and a wave of leaner, crunchier Shiraz expressions emerged across Australia. Some of these Aussie producers ditched their homegrown nomenclature and dubbed their wines “Syrah” to denote their Rhône-style approach.

Like a college freshman trying out a new nickname, it’s a tricky transition. Some wine pros say the different names demonstrate the country’s diverse wine styles. Others argue it’s confusing and detracts from Australian winemaking identity. More than a decade into the Shiraz-Syrah divide, questions remain: Should Shiraz stick to its guns? Or is Australia’s world-famous red wine ripe for a rebrand?

Syrah vs. Shiraz

Whichever name you see on an Australian wine label, the variety in question is Syrah, a deeply pigmented grape from France’s Rhône Valley.

In the cool climate of the northern Rhône, Syrah is the signature red wine grape, comprising nearly 30% of total Rhône red wine production. While individual styles vary, Rhône-style Syrah is generally characterized by bold spice and balanced fruit and alcohol. Syrah came to Australia via 19th-century European colonizers and came to be known as Shiraz. It takes various forms across the country, though most international consumers are best acquainted with the heavy-hitting versions that gained global prominence in the late 20th century. These tended to have generous ABVs and lush fruit flavors.

What’s in a Name?

For modern Australian winemakers, determining whether to call your bottle Syrah or Shiraz raises complicated questions about branding, history and identity.

“I grappled with it,” says Peter Fraser, the winemaker and general manager of Yangarra Estate in McLaren Vale, Australia. His bottles certainly fit Rhône-style wine descriptors—silky, sophisticated—but he ultimately decided to stand by history and use the traditional name Shiraz.

The range at Tasmania’s Pooley Wines includes two Syrahs and zero Shiraz. For brand representative Matt Pooley, the name Syrah not only communicates the estate’s approach to winemaking, but also its Tasmanian location and identity.

“We’ve not got those characteristics of big, chewy reds that warmer climates produce,” he says. Instead, Pooley Syrahs have traits like “black pepper characteristics that aren’t present in a typical mainland Australian Shiraz.”

He believes that the naming convention demonstrates the diversity of Australian winemaking. Like the United States, Australia is enormous. Its 2.9 million square miles encompass everything from arid bush to lush mountains. (By means of comparison, the U.S. is 3.8 million square miles including Alaska.) As a result, wines made in windswept Tasmania are different from those from the warm valley floors of the Barossa.

That multifaceted character is exactly why other Aussie winemakers say it’s important to stick to the name Shiraz: It shows that neither Australia nor Shiraz is a one-trick pony.“Australian Shiraz is very diverse,” says David LeMire, MW, the joint CEO of Shaw and Smith in Adelaide Hills. Shaw and Smith has three elegant, expressive Shirazes in its range. “I get why people [call it Syrah], but we’re Australian,” LeMire adds, “and Australia does also make cool-climate Shiraz.”

Global Perceptions

Understanding these nuances requires some knowledge of agriculture and winemaking techniques. A person casually shopping for a bottle to go with dinner might not be inclined to engage in all that, says Kyle Meyer, the managing partner of Wine Exchange in Santa Ana, California.

He doubts that calling Australian Shiraz “Syrah” will have much of an impact on average U.S. wine shoppers. “I tried to sell someone an Australian Chardonnay, and they said, ‘I had a Shiraz once and I didn’t like it,’” he recalls, laughing. “That’s how far that thought process goes.”

However, for those with slightly more interest in and awareness of what’s in their glass, the Shiraz-Syrah divide can be instructive.

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“It evidences the evolution of wines in Australia,” says Chris Tanghe, the director of education for GuildSomm and owner of a wine bar and bottle shop in Seattle, Washington. He hopes it will help U.S. consumers make sense of Australian winemaking regionality and typicity.

Besides, many global wines go by different names depending on where and how they’re made. Pinot Gris journeys south to become Pinot Grigio, Mourvedre is also called Mataro and Monastrall, and globetrotting Zinfandel may go by Primitivo, Tribidrag or Crljenak Kaštelanski.

“This is just part of the wine world, recognizing different languages, dialects and traditions,” says Tanghe. “Shiraz carries with it the identity of being Australian. I think that’s cool, it doesn’t need to be anything else.”

Australian Shiraz (and Syrah) to Try

Shaw and Smith 2019 Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz (Adelaide Hills)

Shaw and Smith have had a good year, with chief winemaker Adam Wadewitz recently named Winemaker of the Year in a major Australian publication. This single-vineyard bottling is aromatic and sweet-fruited, with succulent blueberry and red plum, fresh violets and a gentle spice. The palate is similarly juicy, satiny textured and wound by chalky, chiseled tannins. Drink now through 2033. 92 Points — Christina Pickard

$39
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Jasper Hill 2022 Emily’s Paddock Shiraz (Heathcote)

This inky-hued Shiraz, from the distinctive Heathcote region of Victoria, is still a baby, with upfront primary dark fruit aromas like cassis and blackberry, licorice, warming spice and a stony nuance. There’s power to the palate but poise, too. A harmonious bottling that will reward decades of cellaring. Cellar Selection. 94 Points — C.P.

$130
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Giant Steps 2018 Syrah (Yarra Valley)

A deep well of aromas fill this wine: plum, cherry, cocoa nibs, rose, violets, earthy herbs, baked clay and a charred note, like the pan scrapings of a roast. The palate is velvety and downright sexy, with spicy tannins and terracotta components adding complexity and austerity to the plush, almost playful fruit. It shows a power play of muscle and elegance. Drink now with a slab of charred red meat or age through 2030. Editor’s Choice. 95 Points — C.P.

$ Varies
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Yangarra 2020 Ironheart Shiraz (McLaren Vale)

An aromatic bottling of Ironheart, this is plump and plummy, with notes of blueberry, earthy, savory spice, violets and chocolate. There’s a warmth and ease to this wine that doesn’t come from alcohol, overt ripeness or oak. It’s succulent and silky, and sits firmly in the medium-bodied spectrum despite the sturdy structure of the tannins. Drink now or cellar throughout the next decade. Cellar Selection. 96 Points — C.P.

$119
Saratoga Wine

Standish 2012 Andelmonde Shiraz (Barossa Valley)

You may have to scour the country to secure some of this (only 14 cases were imported), but this is a treasure worth the search. It’s full bodied without seeming overly rich or heavy, framing the lush notes of dark berries, grilled meat, mint and licorice with supple tannins. Spice-driven flavors linger elegantly on the lengthy finish. It’s delicious now, but should age gracefully through 2030. Cellar Selection. 97 Points — Joe Czerwinski

$ Varies
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