Editing Syrah (section)

== Shiraz wines ==
{{For|the no-longer-produced historical wine|Shiraz wine}}
[[File:Boushey Syrah.JPG|right|thumb|A Shiraz from Washington State]]
The name "Shiraz", from [[Shiraz]] in [[Iran]], was historically applied to a wine unrelated to contemporary Shiraz wines and was made from a grape or grapes entirely different from the Syrah that has been proven to originate in southeastern France.<ref>J. Robinson (ed), ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'', Third Edition, p. 676, Oxford University Press 2006, {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}.</ref>

Smaller amounts of Syrah are also used in the production of other wine styles, such as [[rosé wine]], [[fortified wine]] in [[Port wine]] style, and sparkling red wine.<ref>{{cite book |author=Karen MacNeil |title=The Wine Bible |pages=g 786 |publisher=Workman Publishing Company |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-56305-434-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/winebible00kare}}</ref> While Australian [[sparkling Shiraz]] traditionally have had some sweetness, a number of Australian winemakers also make a full-bodied sparkling dry Shiraz, which contains the complexity and sometimes earthy notes that are normally found in still wine.<ref>{{cite news |title=RED FIZZ Australian-style red bubbly is a grown-up pleasure |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/26/WIGO9CSFBM1.DTL |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |author=W. Blake Gray |date= 2005-05-26 |access-date=2006-10-14}}</ref>

Due to their concentrated flavours and high [[grape tannins|tannin]] content, many premium Syrah wines are at their best after some considerable bottle aging. In exceptional cases, this may be 15 years or longer.

Syrah has one of the highest recommended [[wine serving temperature]]s at 18&nbsp;°C (65&nbsp;°F).<ref>Bonné, Jon, msnbc.com (September 21, 2005). [https://web.archive.org/web/20050924010752/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9392760/ The perfect temperature for wine].</ref>

=== Taste and flavours ===
Wines made from Syrah are often powerfully flavoured and full-bodied. The variety produces wines with a wide range of flavor notes, depending on the climate and soils where it is grown, as well as other [[viticulture|viticultural]] practices chosen. Aroma characters can range from violets to berries (usually dark as opposed to red), chocolate, and black pepper. No one aroma can be called typical though blackberry, coffee and pepper are often noticed. With time in the bottle these primary notes are moderated and then supplemented with earthy or savory tertiary notes such as leather and truffle. Secondary flavor and aroma notes are those associated with several things, generally winemakers' practices (such as [[Wine barrel|oak barrel]] and [[yeast (wine)|yeast]] treatment).

C13-[[Norisoprenoid]]s such as {{chem name|[[7,8-dihydroionone]]}} derivatives, such as {{chem name|[[megastigmane-3,9-diol]]}} and {{chem name|[[3-oxo-7,8-dihydro-α-ionol]]}}, are found in Shiraz leaves.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1021/bk-2002-0802.ch018 |chapter=C13-Norisoprenoid Aglycon Composition of Leaves and Grape Berries from Muscat of Alexandria and Shiraz Cultivars|title=Carotenoid-Derived Aroma Compounds |volume=802 |pages=255 |series=ACS Symposium Series |year=2001 |last1=Günata |first1=Ziya |last2=Wirth |first2=Jérémie L |last3=Guo |first3=Wenfei |last4=Baumes |first4=Raymond L |isbn=978-0-8412-3729-2}}</ref>

=== Syrah or Shiraz on labels ===
[[File:Walla walla Syrah.jpg|left|thumb|A New World wine labeled as ''Syrah'']]
The Syrah-dominated [[Appellation d'origine contrôlée|appellations]] (AOCs) of northern Rhône have, like most other French appellations and regions, no tradition of [[varietal]] labeling of their wines. Indeed, such practices are generally disallowed under AOC rules, and only the AOC name (such as Cote-Rotie, Crozes-Hermitage or Hermitage) appears on the label. Varietal labeling of Syrah/Shiraz wines is therefore a practice that has emerged in the New World, primarily in Australia.

To confuse matters, in northern Rhône, different clones of genuine Syrah are referred to as ''Petite '''Syrah''''' (small Syrah) or ''Gros Syrah'' (large Syrah) depending on the size of their berries, with ''Petite Syrah'' being considered the superior version, giving wines higher in [[phenolic compounds in wine|phenolics]].<ref name="OCW Syrah" />

As a general rule, most Australian and South African wines are labeled "Shiraz", and most European wines (from such regions where varietal labeling is practiced) are labeled "Syrah". In other countries, practices vary and winemakers (or wine marketers) sometimes choose either "Syrah" or "Shiraz" to signify a stylistic difference in the wine they have made. "Syrah"-labelled wines are sometimes thought to be more similar to classic Northern Rhône reds; presumably more elegant, tannic, smoke-flavoured and restrained with respect to their fruit component. "Shiraz"-labelled wines, on the other hand, would then be more similar to archetypical Australian or other New World examples, presumably made from [[riper berries (wine)|riper berries]], more fruit-driven, higher in alcohol, less obviously tannic, peppery rather than smokey, usually more easily approached when young, and possibly slightly sweetish in impression. It must, however, be realized that this rule of thumb is unevenly applied.<ref name="oz_p_250">{{cite book |title=Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Grapes |author=Oz Clark&Margaret Rand |publisher=Hardcourt, inc |year=2001 |pages=g 250 |isbn=978-0-15-100714-1}}</ref>