Put a glass of Syrah from Côte-Rôtie, France, next to a Shiraz from McLaren Vale, Australia, and you’re not just tasting two wines—you’re tasting two different worlds.
In Côte-Rôtie, clinging to the steep granite slopes of the Northern Rhône, Syrah is all about tension and perfume. Expect lifted aromatics of violet, cracked black pepper, olive tapenade, and smoked meat wrapped around a medium-bodied frame with firm acidity and fine, structured tannins. There’s a savory edge here, often a whisper of bacon fat or dried herbs, and sometimes (when Viognier is co-fermented) an extra floral brightness. The wines feel sculpted rather than built.
Travel 10,000 miles south to McLaren Vale, Australia, and Syrah becomes Shiraz—sun-drenched, generous, and unapologetically bold. Riper black fruit takes center stage: blackberry compote, plum, dark chocolate. Oak often plays a more visible role, adding vanilla and sweet spice. Tannins are plush, alcohol is higher, and the texture is velvety. If Côte-Rôtie is a tightly coiled spring, McLaren Vale is a velvet curtain.
Same grape. Same DNA. But climate, soil, and tradition shape entirely different expressions. One whispers with savory complexity; the other speaks confidently in rich fruit tones.
And that’s the magic of Syrah–or is it Shiraz??.
Let’s discover this magic together at our March 5 Wine Circle focused on Syrah/Shiraz.
Wilmington Wine Circle 