Shiraz is also known as Syrah and has a relatively short history in South Africa.
Styles of Shiraz
‘Syrah’ is the French name of this red grape variety and stylistically hints at wines with Rhone Valley ambitions - wines that are more red-fruited, floral and with a marked pepper and savoury spiciness. Generally speaking, ‘Shiraz’ would lean more towards the Australian styles - black-fruited, rich and fuller-bodied. Shiraz is a variety that is well-suited to this bigger style.
Initially many of our South Africa Shiraz wines were made in this bolder fuller-bodied idiom, but the mid to late 2000s saw the start of the ‘Swartland Revolution’ that brought a new band of exciting young winemakers to the fore. These winemakers were influenced by cutting edge global trends, which leaned towards fresher and drier styles of wines. Crucial to this movement was the constant exposure to the benchmark wines of the Rhone.
Today we see both these styles successfully produced. Do note that the use of Syrah/Shiraz is not always indicative of what is in the bottle. Some ‘Shiraz’ labelled wines can be light, fresh and spicy.
Prominent South African Shiraz
Regional expressions of Shiraz are quite varied; South Africa’s Shiraz wines have never been better.
Stellenbosch was the initial Shiraz benchmark, Franschhoek followed with a more elegant style, produced from various regions and the Swartland region produces revolutionary Shiraz wines.
There are also important cool-climate versions from Constantia and Elgin. Elgin Shiraz’s are organic and elegant, with spice and medium body. Elim Shiraz can be described as ‘salty and saline’.