Reds everywhere: Shiraz is all over the country and our bottle shops in many different guises

 

Part of the Glaetzer-Dixon vineyards in Tasmania

Not only is shiraz the most widely planted wine grape variety in Australia it is one of the most versatile.

In the latest figures I could find, from 2018, about 40,000 hectares of shiraz were planted around Australia, with the next most popular variety, cabernet sauvignon, having about 25,000ha planted. By contrast, the two most popular white varieties were chardonnay (21,000ha) and sauvignon blanc (6000ha).

It’s found in virtually every wine-producing area of Australia, although in far smaller quantities in some very cool regions such as Tasmania, where pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling are more common. 

Indeed, a Glaetzer-Dixon 2010 Mon Pere shiraz made by Nick Glaetzer won the 2011 Jimmy Watson trophy at the Melbourne wine show, the first Tasmanian wine ever to win Australia’s best known wine trophy. Another Tassie winery, Home Hill, also won the Watson in 2015 with a Kelly’s Reserve pinot noir.

As to its versatility, shiraz can be used for anything from a fresh early drinking rose (Jacob’s Creek, Paxton, Blue Pyrenees, Hardys Stamp just to name a few) through cool-climate spicy peppery versions to full-bodied high-alcohol brutes from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale and on to some of Australia’s best-known fortified wines.

Seppelt Para always has a good dose of shiraz along with grenache and mataro/mourvedre while Hardys Show Port is based on shiraz with a good splash of grenache and there are plenty of tawnies about the place that depend on the variety to provide drinking pleasure.

In next week's column I will look at how shiraz performs around the country, and there's plenty of delightful and different drops to be found.