To truly understand the difference between Syrah and Shiraz we have to travel back in time. There is much debate as to the actual origin of this varietal, some say it hails from Ancient Persia, others say it originated in Syracuse in Sicily and some are convinced it is native to the Rhone Region. This debate was recently put to bed when scientists conducted a DNA profiling test on the varietal and found that its parent vines originated in Rhone.
Syrah
Made famous by the Rhone Valley in France, Syrah is a light-bodied, fruit-forward wine, with perfumery or floral notes, the wine has a deep colour to it with fine tannins and a leaner acidity. This is considered to be the Old World style, leaning the wine more towards the fruit characteristics with subtle spice notes, with winemakers maturing the wine primarily in older barrels to limit the tannin found in the wine. The region of Rhone is a cooler region again leading to wines that are more acidic in nature and fruit-forward.
This Old World style is still popular today, with regions such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape crafting some of the world's finest blends wit Syrah as their base wine.
Shiraz
The New World. Cuttings of the Syrah vine made their way to Australia, a young region in the wine world, transported in by the famous Australian viticulturist, James Busby. The vine flourished in the conditions of Australia, adapting to the harsher environment and creating vines that truly showcased the terroir of the country, leading it to become Australia's most widely planted varietal. Eager to put their stamp on the wine world, the Australian winemaker's sought to craft something unique, something the wine world hadn’t seen before and thus, in the Barossa valley, the New World style, Shiraz was born.
Boasting big bold flavours, ripe intense fruit, intense spice, bold structure and intense granular tannins - Shiraz took the world by storm. The Australians went against what the French had been doing for hundreds of years and they impressed many who tasted the wine.
In general, there seems to be a shift back towards the softer style of Syrah in the winemaking world, with winemakers and drinkers looking for a cooler climate elegantly soft and fruit-forward style.
Here at Waterford Estate, we make a wine that we call Shiraz but it most definitely leans towards the Syrah style of winemaking. With only being founded in 1998 we consider Waterford Estate to be of the New World, this led us to name the wine after the New World convention while crafting the wine in the Old World style.
Shiraz in the vineyard
As previously mentioned Shiraz adapts well to whichever climate in which it is grown. It has proven its ability to thrive in the cooler climates of France and it has performed exceptionally well in the hot climates of the Australian Wine regions. Shiraz can be found in almost all wine-producing areas of South Africa and there is a vast difference between the flavour profiles of the various regions.
At Waterford Estate we chose to display this unique characteristic of Shiraz and created our Library Collection Spring Vineyard Shiraz, commonly called the SP Shiraz. Spring Vineyard is one of the site locations on the farm, the block stretches up the North facing slope of the Helderberg Mountain, with the rows planted from North to South. This planting convention stacks the rows against the prevailing wind which comes in from the East, this direction of the vineyard lends itself to being warmer, and with the sun baking down on the vines from the morning to the evening, the style of wine we craft is characterised by bolder structure, ripe fruit and rich spice.
The SP Shiraz has an intense violet-red colour, inviting warm aromas of earthy berries, crushed violets, ripe plums and rich spices.
Although this is the most suitable condition for us to make a more Shiraz style of wine we still choose to lean the wine towards its softer counterpart in Syrah to display how the site has such an influence in the wine. The SP Shiraz has an intense violet-red colour, inviting warm aromas of earthy berries, crushed violets, ripe plums and rich spices. The palate follows with similar flavours but is perceived as slightly fresher and more elegant than expected from the intensity of the aromatics and its terroir.
Our Waterford Kevin Arnold Shiraz follows a more blending mindset during its vinification, with our winemaker, Mark le Roux blending different blocks from different sites on our farm to create an elegance about the wine, and to balance the higher acidity levels from our cooler sites with the rougher intensity of our warmer sites. The wine is then matured in primarily fourth-fill French oak barrels to further emphasise the softer tannin profile we are looking for in the wine. The wine shows aromatics of delicate violets, dark plum fruits and liquorice notes which have layered subtle notes of earthiness and leather spice, brought in by the Mourvèdre component.
Winemaking has evolved over the years and will continue to grow and be shaped by new ideas, new styles and new regions. If one thing is for sure, we will be keeping an eye on Shiraz or Syrah and what the winemakers will dream up next for this historic varietal.
Can you taste the difference in terroir? Visit www.waterfordestate.co.za to get your hands on our Waterford Kevin Arnold Shiraz and let us know how you’ve experienced the wine.