Is It Syrah or Shiraz and Does it Really Matter

In its broadest context, New World shiraz/syrah from Australia, Chile, California, Washington state, Argentina and even B.C. offers intense peppery flavours of blackberries and damson plums. Mix that with smoky bacon, black pepper, mocha, coffee and vanilla flavours and you have a recipe few wine drinkers can resist.

In Europe, particularly France, the flavours of syrah are generally more tannic (drier) and perhaps more coarse, although I say that in a favourable manner. English wine commentator Oz Clarke describes French syrah as "all blackberry, damson, loganberry and plum with some quite strong tannin, tangy smoke and a warm, creamy aftertaste with a promise of chocolate."

Clarke rightly points out that the "occasional scent of violets and a white-pepper character together with a greater finesse or elegance is evident when late-developing Syrah is grown at more marginal cooler sites."

The Victoria Day long weekend normally signals the start of barbecue season and where there's smoke, there should be syrah and shiraz. Today's picks provide six different examples designed to ease you into the summer grilling season. Enjoy.

The Hardys Nottage Hill Shiraz 2002 has arrived in a one-litre bottle format (that's an extra 25 per cent juice) for only $1 more. Expect to find a bright fruity nose with blueberry, black cherry fruit flavours streaked with white pepper and savoury notes. It is smooth, round and intense with a warm alcoholic and acidic Oz finish. An affordable simple fruity red.

Chilean winemaker Marcelo Papa has to be considered one of the best in South America because unlike other star winemakers around the world, Papa has the touch with inexpensive wine.

His Casillero del Diablo Syrah 2003 has an inviting smoky, vanilla, meaty nose with black plum jam aromas and a touch of roasted pepper. The entry is smooth and round with underlying grainy tannins. Ripe plum, blackberry fruit dominates the palate with chocolate, gamey, spicy, licorice flavours. Big, full and totally undervalued for the price.

New to the market is the Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2002 out of McLaren Vale, South Australia. It's easy to be attracted to Mitolo's spicy, vanilla, bacon crisp, blackberry jam nose streaked with peppery and leather. It is smooth, rich and round on entry with blackberry jam and more spicy cedar vanilla, pepper and pencil lead flavours. Best of all, the Mitolo boasts a screwcap closure, which ensures its fabulous bouquet will remain so for many, many years -- and did I mention how easy it is to open?

Thierry Boudinaud is the winemaker behind Fat Bastard. Boudinuad has travelled the world to make wines, but it was a Languedoc bottle that caught the imagination of his London-based buddy Guy Anderson. It was 1996 and the pair was tasting new releases when a particular barrel of wine grabbed both Anderson and Boudinaud. The Frenchman exclaimed "now zat iz what you call eh phet bast-ard." Anderson laughed and the rest is history.

Fat Bastard Shiraz 2002 is a warm, dry, slightly tannic red with spicy, floral, black cherry, pepper and cedar flavours. Its dry styling is an excellent alternative to the plusher, sweeter Oz shiraz and it will match a wide variety of foods grilled on the barbecue.

Robert Parker is a Planeta fan describing the contemporary Sicilian winery as "fashioning modern-style, concentrated, complex wines that merit significant attention. Prices are high, but not out of control ... yet."

The Planeta Syrah 2001 has a huge black pepper, licorice root and roasted mulberry nose streaked with coffee and gamey, meaty aromas. It is warm, round and smooth; it slides down easily with plenty of coffee, blackberry jam, vanilla, smoky, resiny licorice flavours and a touch of tea and leather. Big and alcoholic, it is the perfect osso buco wine. The Planeta Syrah is only sold in private wine shops and restaurants, but it's worth tracking down.

Greg Norman's best golf days may be behind him, but his wine made under contract by the Beringer Blass group is hardly sub-par. In fact, Norman's wines are the No. 1 selling premium Australian wine in North America.

The Greg Norman Estates Shiraz Limestone Coast 2001 is made with cool-climate fruit, the majority of which comes out of Coonawarra, Padthaway and Wratonbully. The individual parcels are pressed off the skins and finish fermentation in barrel before maturing for up to 20 months in a combination of new and seasoned French and American oak barrels. Look for delicious black pepper, blueberry jam, licorice and roasted pepper flavours. Suave and very fruity with just a touch of acidity showing through at the end.

Weekend Tasting: Shiraz / Syrah

Wine   Hardys Nottage Hill Shiraz 2002, South Eastern Australia
Price    $14.99
UPC    9311043079542
Scores 14/20
Remarks         Smooth, round with floral blackberry jam and white pepper flavours.

Wine   Casillero del Diablo Syrah 2003, Valle del Rapel, Chile
Price    $12.95
UPC    7804320510170
Scores 15/20
Remarks         Another delicious Concha y Toro bargain.

Wine   Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2002, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Price    $29.95
UPC    836974000056
Scores 16/20
Remarks         Vanilla, bacon crisp, blackberry jam flavours.

Wine   Fat Bastard Shiraz 2002, Languedoc, France
Price    $17.50
UPC    3700067800717
Scores 15/20
Remarks         A fine alternative dry-style shiraz that pairs well with grilled meats.

Wine   Planeta Syrah 2001, Sicily, Italy
Price    $52.65
UPC    8020735000092
Scores 16.5/20
Remarks         Coffee, black berry jam and smoky, licorice flavours.

Wine   Greg Norman Estates Shiraz Limestone Coast 2001, Limestone Coast, South Australia
Price    $27.99
UPC    023859552285
Scores 15.5/20
Remarks         Suave and fruity blueberry, white pepper, and licorice tea flavours.