http://mullineuxwines.com/assets/images/grape%20varieties/syrah.jpg

Sirah and Shiraz are the same grape. Australia uses the term Shiraz instead of Syrah. California winemakers also use Shiraz if the wine is made in an Australian style, that being fruit-forward.

Why the difference in nomenclature? The simple answer is location. Locality in this case, lends itself to the style of the wine, and that is where we will find our differences.

First the name, or shall we say names, Syrah and Shiraz. Legend has it that the name Shiraz is the name of an ancient city in Persia (now Iran), where guess what - Syrah was grown. The grape variety eventually found its way to the Rhone Valley in France, where it has thrived for a very long time.

The French call it Syrah, and the Australians call it by what they perceive to be its native land, Shiraz; which rhymes with pizazz, which helps in remembering the correct pronunciation of the Aussie’s workhorse grape.

Now, all of this is said to be folklore, but it makes for a nice story, right? What is not folklore though, is that Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape variety, but are stylistically different, and while the grape has been in Australia since the mid 19th century, it has been grown in the Rhone Valley since the Roman period.

See also:
http://wine.appellationamerica.com/grape-varietal/Syrah-|-Shiraz.html
http://www.wineintro.com/types/sirah.html
http://www.cellarnotes.net/syrah.html - for a detailed history of the grape!
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrah


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