Syrah & Shiraz - What's the difference?

Ever wondered what the difference is between Syrah & Shiraz?

They’re essentially the same grape and wine, as Australia renamed the ‘Syrah’ cuttings as ‘Shiraz’ when they first arrived here in the 1800s from France, however this of course doesn’t mean that they always share the same tasting notes.

We make both Syrah & Shiraz at our boutique winery on the NSW South Coast, so we thought we'd compare the difference for you. Our Dusty Dog is more Syrah in style than the classic Aussie Shiraz you may be familiar with from warmer regions such as the Hunter Valley. Due to being grown in the cool climate region of Hilltops NSW, our Dusty Dog Shiraz is more refined, delicate & aromatic. Use of whole bunch & large format French oak barrels creates elegance & a juicy delicate style of Shiraz, more typically akin to Syrah from France.

Our Canberra Syrah uses even more whole bunch and as such has a little bit more structure to it than our Dusty Dog. The aromatics are quite different, Syrah is being more fragrant. Hilltops fruit (the Dusty) tends to have more of a blueberry & dark berry perfume. However, our Syrah from Canberra has red berry characters, a savoury backbone & earthy spicy characters.

In celebration of International Shiraz Day, we have visited our Cellar and re-released a limited number of our 2015 Dusty Dog Shiraz Bottles. They are drinking beautifully after 6 years in our cellar. You can now purchase this release in our Cellar Door or online in ourShiraz Selection pack.Joining the 2015 Dusty Dog is our un-released 2019 Canberra Syrah, our 2018 Dusty Dog Shiraz, our 2018 Shiraz and 2018 Slaughterhouse Red Shiraz/Cabernet Blend.

While all of our Shiraz varietal grapes are sourced from cool-climate regions around the state, the wines are all made & aged on site here at our Winery on the NSW South Coast.

Taste & enjoy the incredible variety of tasting profiles in each bottle of this beloved variety. Treat yourself or a Shiraz fan in your family to ourShiraz Selectiontoday.