What is the difference between Syrah and Shiraz?
The answer is nothing! Syrah is the name of an ancient red grape thought to have its origins in the Middle East. It is widely planted in the Rhone Valley of France which is where it gained its reputation. In the mid-1800s, the Australians started planting Syrah and called the resulting wine Shiraz. So we see Syrah from France and Shiraz from Australia, but what about the United States? Most of the U.S. wine producers call their wine Syrah, but a few use the term Shiraz to show a stylistic difference. Shiraz wines from Australia tend to be fruitier than the often-times smoky, peppery Syrah wines from France.
