shiraz

[burghair]

I recently tried an Australian shiraz (Debortolli?) and it was very good. If I want a good shiraz, should I stick with Australian ?

[Auburnwine]

Shiraz is another name for the syrah grape. "Shiraz" is generally used in Australia just as "syrah" is generally used in the US. Some US producers have taken to calling their wines shiraz, probably more as a marketing ploy (considering the popularity of Aussie shiraz in the US) than as a statement on how the wine is made.

There are many, many wonderful Australian shirazes (Peter Lehman and D'Arrenberg are a couple of my favorite producers), but you can also find some very fine American syrahs. Washington State syrahs have a growing reputation.

South American and South African syrahs can be quite nice.

The grape is at the heart of much French wine making, especially in the Rhone region, and I am sure that more knowledgeable people can address that aspect of it. However, there are some of us who prefer the "new world" styles of syrah-based wines to those in the French style.