Shiraz is one of Australia's defining grape varieties, responsible for some of the country's most recognised and long-lived red wines. It is also one of its most diverse.
Depending on climate, site and winemaking, Shiraz can range from fragrant and peppery with fine tannins to deeply concentrated, dark-fruited wines built for extended ageing. In France, where the variety is known as Syrah, it is most closely associated with the northern Rhône.
Shiraz or Syrah?
Shiraz and Syrah are two names for the same grape variety.
Syrah is the traditional French name, while Shiraz became firmly established in Australia. Today, both terms appear on Australian labels. Some producers use Syrah to signal a more restrained, savoury or aromatic interpretation, while Shiraz remains the more established Australian convention.
There are no formal rules separating the two. Region, vineyard, vintage and producer ultimately tell you far more about the style of wine in the bottle.
Australian Shiraz by Region
Few varieties demonstrate Australia's regional diversity as clearly as Shiraz.
Barossa Valley & Eden Valley
The Barossa is closely associated with powerful, concentrated Shiraz, often showing dark fruit, spice and considerable depth. Its old-vine resources are particularly important, with some vineyards containing Shiraz planted in the nineteenth century.
Producers including Torbreck, Rockford and Henschke have helped define the region internationally, while wines such as Penfolds Grange demonstrate the role Barossa fruit can play within Australia's great multi-regional Shiraz tradition.
Neighbouring Eden Valley brings higher elevation and cooler conditions, often producing wines with greater fragrance and freshness. It is also home to Henschke Hill of Grace, produced from the historic Hill of Grace vineyard.
McLaren Vale & South Australia
McLaren Vale offers another important interpretation of Australian Shiraz, combining ripe fruit with savourory character, spice and structure. Across South Australia more broadly, the variety appears both as a regional wine and within blends assembled from multiple vineyard sources.
The historic Australian Cabernet Shiraz blend is particularly significant, bringing Cabernet Sauvignon's structure together with the generosity of Shiraz.
Cool-Climate Shiraz & Syrah
In cooler regions, Shiraz can take on a distinctly different character.
The Canberra District, Yarra Valley, Geelong and Tasmania can produce medium-bodied wines with red and dark fruit, pepper, florals and savoury spice. Producers including Ravensworth, By Farr, Bannockburn and Pooley demonstrate the breadth of contemporary Australian Shiraz and Syrah beyond its traditional warm-climate heartlands.
Shiraz Viognier
Shiraz and Viognier have a long association in the northern Rhône, most notably in Côte-Rôtie, where the varieties may be co-fermented.
Australian producers have also explored the combination, with Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier becoming one of the country's defining modern examples. Small additions of Viognier can contribute perfume and aromatic lift, although the proportion used and its influence on the finished wine vary considerably between producers.
Shiraz is also commonly blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre in GSM blends, and with Cabernet Sauvignon in one of Australia's most established red wine styles.
Shiraz for the Cellar
The structure and concentration of Shiraz can make it particularly well suited to ageing, although cellaring potential varies significantly between individual wines.
Australian benchmarks including Penfolds Grange, Penfolds St Henri, Henschke Hill of Grace, Jim Barry The Armagh and selected Torbreck releases have established long histories of development in bottle. With age, primary fruit can give way to more savoury characteristics including spice, leather, earth and dried fruit.
The Kent Street Cellars collection also includes selected mature vintages, limited allocations, gift-boxed releases and large formats, providing opportunities to compare producers, regions and vintages across different stages of development.
Shop Shiraz & Syrah at Kent Street Cellars
Explore Shiraz and Syrah from established Australian regions and international producers, spanning approachable current releases through to mature vintages and collectable bottles.
The collection includes wines from the Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, McLaren Vale, Canberra District, Tasmania and other leading regions, with delivery available Australia-wide and same-day delivery across eligible Sydney metropolitan areas.
