Often referred to as Australia’s flagship grape variety, Shiraz is grown in most of Australia’s wine regions.
Well-known regions such as Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale are commonly mentioned for quintessential expressions of Shiraz, but as results from the Decanter World Wine Awards attest, Shiraz across the nation shows stylistic diversity with structured, ageworthy and powerfully aromatic wines to be found from Frankland River in Western Australia to the Pyrenees in Victoria and Canberra in New South Wales.
Scroll down to see top-scoring Shiraz wines and tasting notes from DWWA 2021
‘The Decanter World Wine Awards really helps producers to raise their profile internationally,’ comments DWWA Co-Chair Andrew Jefford. ‘It can do the same for wine-producing regions and nations, too.’
In the context of Australian Shiraz, this can be seen in the top results from the 2021 competition, which largely hail from South Australia’s most internationally recognised wine regions, but so too from perhaps lesser-known regions, and producers.
Read on to discover a selection of Australia’s regional Shiraz benchmarks, as well as producers across the country who are clearly worth discovering…
Australian Shiraz: Regional discovery
Best in Show
Calabria, The Iconic Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2018
97 Best in Show
calabriawines.com.au
Barossa’s ancient, varied soils and upcountry, dry-land climate produce famously attractive, voluptuous Shiraz, and it was just such a wine which inched ahead of its Australian red-wine peers to merit a place in this year’s DWWA top 50 Best in Show. Dark black-purple in colour, the scents of warm, almost treacly bramble and damson fruits, tar, leather and summer heat make for a headily inviting combination. The wine is concentrated, spicy, deep and long, with more of that bramble and damson given limpid focus. It has a juicy acid balance, melting tannins and is sagely oaked: skilled marshalling of what are evidently very fine raw materials. Alc 14%
South Australia
Sons of Eden, Romulus Old Vine Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2018
97 Platinum
£50 ABS Wine Agencies, Pull the Cork
Mint and eucalyptus alongside sweet dark fruit, engine oil and smoky bacon. Tannins are in immaculate balance, the length is astonishing. Utterly superb! Alc 14.5%
Elderton, Command Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2018
96 Gold
£55 The Vinorium
A savoury, red-fruited quality to the fruit with spiced plums and raspberry jam. Powerful and supercharged, with prominent oak adding layers of depth. Alc 14.6%
Gatt, Old Vine Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2015
96 Gold
gattwines.com
Dense and sweet, with a beautiful perfume and appealingly evolved notes of Australian summer bush, liquorice and raisin. A classic. Alc 14.9%
Hayes Family Wines, Primrose Vineyard Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2019
96 Gold
POA hayesfamilywines.com
Amazing structure and density; multilayered and showing off notes of garrigue, sweet bramble, liquorice, leather and fresh dark berries. A refined bull. Alc 14.5%
Wirra Wirra, Catapult Shiraz, McLaren Vale 2019
96 Gold
£15.95-£17 (2017) Flagship Wines, Ocado
Bright and aromatic, with a gentle, oakderived caramel underlay beneath pepper, black fruits and salty red berries. Persistent, finishing with lifted mint. Alc 14.5%
Bird in Hand, MAC Shiraz, Mount Lofty Ranges 2012
95 Gold
£199.95 Frontier Fine Wines
Black fruit, earth, pencil shaving and spice. Rich palate with fresh acidity, filigree tannins and a ripe core of black fruit, spice and pepper. Lingering finish. Excellent. Alc 14.5%
John Glaetzer, John’s Blend, Margarete’s Shiraz, Langhorne Creek 2018
95 Gold
£31.50 The Vinorium
Hedonistic but poised, with alluring smoky bacon and floral airs around sweet bramble, creamy berries and dark plums, joined by raw steak and white pepper. Alc 14.5%
Monteperle, Reserve Shiraz, Barossa Valley 2018
95 Gold
monteperle.com.au
Black plum preserve, clove, a hint of meatiness. Huge concentration, with acidity keeping the alcohol, oak and tannins in check. Appealing and luscious. Alc 14.9%
Patritti, Lot Three Single Vineyard Shiraz, McLaren Vale 2018
95 Gold
patritti.com.au
Gorgeous drinking, with a baked clay minerality and whiffs of smoke around luscious red plum, fresh fig and bay leaf-tinged mulberry. Fine, long and lovely, this still needs a few years. Alc 14.5%
Yalumba, The Octavius Shiraz, Barossa 2016
95 Gold
£68.58-£75 Australian Wines Online, Vinvm
Still evolving but supremely rewarding, with elegant florals and spices married to integrated oak, plummy fruits and a precise finish. Powerful and intriguing. Alc 14.5%
New South Wales
Leogate, The Basin Shiraz, Hunter Valley 2019
96 Gold
leogate.com.au
Deluxe, deep and inviting. Richly textured yet fine, incorporating boysenberry, blackberry, liquorice, cardamom and tamarind. Beautifully restrained. Alc 14.5%
McGuigan, Personal Reserve Vanessa Vale Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley 2017
96 Gold
POA mcguiganwines.co.uk
Dark berry fruits, smoky bacon and burnt herbs. Juicy and succulent, well balanced and harmonious with a long finish. Alc 13.8%
Shaw Wines, Estate Shiraz, Canberra District 2018
95 Gold
shawwines.com.au
Energetic, precise and harmonious, with delicate dashes of cocoa overlaying red plum, mulberry and violets, framed by lacy, fine-boned tannins. A beautiful wine. Alc 14%
Victoria
Dalwhinnie, The Eagle Shiraz, Pyrenees 2018
96 Gold
dalwhinnie.wine
Classy, elegant wine with juicy, ripe fruit, plus lots of complex savoury notes and measured oak. Fine, supple tannin and lively, refreshing, red-fruited acidity. Alc 13.4%
Lake Cooper Estate, Well Rhapsody Shiraz, Heathcote 2019
96 Gold
lakecooper.com.au
Startling fruit purity, with liquorice, pristine spices and earth over violets, blueberries, redcurrants and lush vanilla. Tight, focused and seamless. An elegant finish. Alc 14.5%
Yering Station, Reserve Shiraz-Viognier, Yarra Valley 2018
95 Gold
yering.com
Powerfully aromatic, pungent: choc mint, plum blossom and chocolate-coated fresh figs. Really opulent and rich palate. Finegrained, a touch of development. Alc 14.5%
Western Australia
Forester Estate, Home Block Shiraz, Margaret River 2019
95 Gold
foresterestate.com.au
Multi-faceted, relaxed and confident, showcasing plum, damson, black cherry and gunpowder, with lifted acidity and silky tannins. A very complete package. Alc 13%
Swinney, Farvie Syrah, Frankland River 2019
94 Silver
£75-£85 (2018) My Somm, The Great Wine Co
Deep, complex, long and sophisticated, with smoked bacon, boysenberry and graphite woven into the polished oak, and a scattering of herbs. Alc 14%
