Syrah & Shiraz: 25 of the best from the southern hemisphere

The story of Syrah in the southern hemisphere is believed to have started with the Scottish viticulturist and ‘father of Australian wine’ James Busby, who brought Syrah vines with him to the continent in 1832.

Since then, Australia has become one of the world leaders in Syrah, and still has some of the original, ungrafted vines, planted in the mid-1800s.

Second only to France in area under vine (see box below), Australia has made Syrah its own – not only in plantings, but also in name. The nation’s adoption of ‘Shiraz’ as a synonym for Syrah had two notable impacts on the broader wine industry.

Scroll down for 25 Syrahs from across the southern hemisphere

First, it added to the confusion over the variety’s origins, providing support for the belief that it’s somehow related to the Persian city of Shiraz: a gaffe that Busby himself made while writing in his journal.

More recent DNA testing, however, has shown that the variety originated in the Rhône valley, in southeast France.

Perhaps more significantly, though, Australia’s adoption of the name – along with its wildly different style of Syrah compared to that of the Rhône valley – popularised the notion of ‘Shiraz’ as a richer, riper, bolder, more fruit-driven – and distinctly New World – wine.

This notion of Shiraz, as opposed to Syrah, and the associated style, have been adopted by many producers worldwide.

Australia & New Zealand

Australia certainly still champions rich ‘Shiraz’ styles today, and some of the most acclaimed Australian Shiraz is unabashedly rich and chocolatey, often creeping well above 15% alcohol.

The wines of Barossa in South Australia, in particular, are typically of this ilk, and widely well loved for it.

What I find more exciting, however, is the drive in Australia’s diverse wine regions towards more regional distinction and some cooler-climate expressions (see David Sly’s Barossa 2022 report in our November issue).

The best wines – from appellations as varied as the Adelaide Hills, Geelong and Canberra – rein in the ripeness and show greater freshness and verve. McLaren Vale and the Eden Valley are also turning out some of Australia’s most sophisticated examples.

Over in New Zealand, the heartland of Syrah is without question Hawke’s Bay – which boasts the lion’s share in terms of both plantings and acclaim.

Although it has the smallest area under vine of the top five southern hemisphere Syrah countries, and by a very hefty margin – its 418ha equate to barely above 1% of Australia’s plantings, for example (see box) – New Zealand certainly punches above its weight.

The best examples exhibit a gravelly tension and polished tannins, with brooding black fruit and notes of cracked black pepper – clearly leaning more towards ‘Syrah’ in style than ‘Shiraz’.

Southern hemisphere Syrah: Area under vine

Australia: 39,893ha (2024)

Argentina: 10,777ha (2023)

South Africa: 8,713ha (2023)

Chile: 6,608ha (2022)

New Zealand: 418ha (2024)

[Inter Rhône gives plantings in all Rhône valley APs as ‘about 23,000ha’]

South Africa

In South Africa, too, top-end producers have been increasingly focusing on fresher, more nuanced expressions of Syrah – with a growing emphasis on single-site wines.

‘Syrah reflects terroir so beautifully and really gives an amazing reflection of place,’ says Andrea Mullineux, owner and winemaker at the eponymous estate.

‘What makes South Africa unique is that we have the oldest viticultural soils in the world. And because of the slow erosion, we have 40- to 50-kilometre outcrops of single soil types and we can show very pure examples.’

The Mullineux single-soil trio of Syrahs from the Swartland – from granite, schist and iron soils – are stunning examples of Syrah’s ability to translate terroir. Mullineux’s work has inspired other wineries, including the excellent Gabriëlskloof, to join this thrilling, site-specific Syrah movement in the Cape.

South America

Regional expression is also increasingly driving the most sophisticated and accomplished of Chile’s Syrah wines. Whether it’s at the breathtakingly high altitude of Viñedos de Alcohuaz in Elqui (above 2,200m in some cases), or in the cool coastal areas of San Antonio or Limarí, there’s a clear vision being driven in Chile for using Syrah as a vehicle for expressing its diverse wine regions.

Argentina, despite its impressive hectarage of Syrah vines, somewhat lags behind the other southern hemisphere wine giants when it comes to quality. Most of its Syrah is destined for glugging wine, although there are a few stars coming to the fore – including more savoury expressions from the Uco Valley.

Elsewhere in South America, Brazil and Uruguay are only minor players in the world of Syrah. However, some notable producers in the former’s mountainous Serra da Mantiqueira region, about 120km inland from Rio de Janeiro, are placing their bets on the variety, and the wines are steadily improving, vintage by vintage.

Global Appeal

Is Syrah the southern hemisphere’s greatest translator of terroir?

Equally comfortable in the mountains as it is by the sea, its chameleonic nature and widespread adoption surely make it among the best red varieties for exploring the diversity of southern hemisphere regions and terroirs today.

Southern hemisphere Syrah (& Shiraz): 25 of the best

Related articles

• Syrah vs Shiraz: 30 great buys from South Africa
• From hill and vale: A South Australian homage to Syrah and the Rhône
• Syrah and Shiraz – what is the difference?