First off, for those of you who did not know, Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape but given different names, mostly for marketing purposes. That said they do produce distinctly different styles of wine depending upon the climate and soil they are grown in.

From a climate perspective most of the major Australian Shiraz regions are quite a bit warmer for a longer period of time than any New Zealand sites (e.g., Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay being the best), which is how they produce what we have all come to know as the ‘classic’ Aussie Shiraz – the big fruit bomb. New Zealand wine writer Stephen Bennett, in an article titled ‘A bad match’, flat out states New Zealand should give it (Syrah) up – the climate is too cool. He uses a viticulture term ‘heat degree days’ to denigrate the potential for Syrah in New Zealand, which brings to mind the old joke in statistics – ‘if you have one foot in boiling water and one in ice cold, on average you are OK -- but it hurts like hell’. Heat degree-days is a macro level measurement that hides the vineyard specific characteristics, and to make a comparison to the Barossa, McLaren Vale and Hunter Valley is a bit of an apples and oranges comparison. New Zealand cannot make Shiraz like Australia does – never wanted to and never will. If he had to choose an area to compare heat degree-days to then it should be the Northern Rhone, which is the viticultural area that produces the Syrah style New Zealand aspires to. Contrary to Mr. Bennett’s comments I believe, NZ does a pretty good job for such a young industry.

If you ever get a chance to taste a Te Mata Estate Syrah or Craggy Range Block 14 or a Vidal Syrah, I think you will be impressed.

Te Mata Estate Woodthorpe Syrah 2005

Classic Syrah with a great flavour of black fruit with a white peppery finish. Great vintage & an exquisite wine that is focused, long, lithe and resplendent.

This very affordable ($22) red can be found at the Botanical Wine Store and is half the price of its big brother the Te Mata Bullnose Syrah (but if you want to splurge, the Bullnose is worth every penny).

Di Fabio Estate Oakley Road Shiraz 2005

Di Fabio Estate is a family owned & operated business founded in 1966 in McLaren Vale.

They started as contract grape growers for some of the best wine makers in that region but in 2000 started to make & bottle their own wines.

This Shiraz is a classic easy quaffer that is sure to warrant a second glass (or three) at the King of Tonga (164A Tennyson Street 9531 8503), which has this red at a great price by the glass or bottle.

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