Focus: Australia

In Australia, Syrah (known locally as Chiraz, Shiraz or Red Hermitage) was brought over from Europe in 1832. After many years spent in the shadows of white wines, Syrah grew rapidly in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s owing to a number of factors, such as the international success of several brands (Lindemans and Jacobs Creek in England, and Rosemount in the United States, etc.) as well as national subsidies for new plantings.

Today, it is one of the most popular red varieties in Australia, where it accounts for 40% of red wine production. From less than 6,000 ha in 1990, Shiraz acreage has grown to 36,000 ha in 2004.

Shiraz is the dominant variety in New South Wales and South Australia, particularly in the Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley, McLaren Vale and Clare. It is also frequently used in the wine regions located two hours north of Melbourne (Victoria) and in Western Australia, such as Margaret River. The small but renowned Coonawarra wine region yields very interesting wines on the special Terra Rossa soil, where huge Shiraz vines, known locally as Hermitage, are often quite old (around 80 years old).

Shiraz is still the most widely planted grape variety in Australia today.

Focus on a Few Countries

Distribution of new grapevine plantings by varietal in Australia (hectares)
Shiraz
1 523
Cabernet Sauvignon
255
Merlot
147
Pinot Noir
115
Grenache
48
Mataro
24
Durif
16
Tarrango
15
Petit Verdot
15
TOTAL
2 375
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.