As a budding wine enthusiast the best and most cost effective way of experiencing wines is to join a wine of the month club and, to get my introduction to the world of Shiraz, I joined a red wine of the month club provided by the Virginia wine of the month club. Over the year I was able to explore fully the exciting wines that Shiraz produces. Whereas the grape variety Chardonnay is the most versatile of white wine varieties, Shiraz is by far and away the red wine counterpart. Like Chardonnay it will grow just about anywhere and is able to offer a large array of flavours depending on where it is planted. Also it ripens early, which means that the grape can be harvested before any major disease or rain can have an adverse effect, a crucial factor that appeals to both winemakers and drinkers alike.
Shiraz gives very distinct flavours that take many forms, but the most robust wines undoubtedly come from Australia such as the classic Barossa Shirazand, this was available in my first selection from the wine of the month club. This wine's superb flavour is full of bramble and briar fruit, with a buttery, minty quality. If treated carefully, Shiraz is capable of producing world-class wines that can age beautifully for up to twenty years, resulting in wines that have a high alcohol level, indeed as much as 14% alcohol.
Some red wines, such as Italian Nebbiolo or French Cabernet Sauvignon, need to be kept for a few years before they reveal their best side; but these were available from the wine of the month club already aged. But Shiraz is so versatile that the time frame for its consumption is much wider. Indeed even the better quality Shiraz wines can be enjoyed to the full less than a year after they have been bottled. But as with all wines patience is a virtue and it will be rewarded to the full.
As for the history of the grape variety, Shiraz, or Syrah as it was known as well, was brought to the Northern Rhône region of France by a Templar Knight returning from the Crusades in about the 12 th Century, where it thrived for over 700 years before its versatility made it the obvious choice for being transported and planted throughout the world. So, historically, Shiraz is best known and loved for the great red wines of the northern Rhône such as Châteauneuf-de Pape, Hermitage, Côte Rotie and Cornas, varieties all available from this international wine of the month club. Nowadays, the great Barossa reds of Australia such as Penfolds Grange and De Bertoli Shiraz have set the standard in the New World regions, and I have been able to sample these through my membership of the Baltimore wine of the month club. Other countries such as South Africa, Argentina and California showing signs of real potential and are becoming increasingly available as choices in the best wine of the month clubs. If you like red wine with spicy undertones then search out the ever popular Zinfandel from California, but make sure that it's the full-on red variety not the weedy pink stuff, again available through the best wine of the month clubs.
