South Afican Shiraz

The soft, round, supple red with the black cherry fruit and smooth finish was on every wine list in town.

Incredibly, the tide has turned. As my kids would say, merlot is so '90s.

There's a new red on the block, and it comes with two interchangeable names: shiraz or syrah. It has completely displaced merlot as the red to be seen drinking.

New World shiraz, or syrah -- which comes from Australia, Chile, California, Washington state, Argentina, South Africa and even B.C. -- offers the intense peppery flavours of blackberries and damson plums. Mix them with smoky bacon, black pepper, mocha, coffee and vanilla flavours and you get an irresistible combination.

In Europe, particularly France, the flavour of syrah is generally drier, with less cherry cola and vanilla. As English wine guru Oz Clarke says, "it's all blackberry, damson, loganberry and plum, with some quite strong tannin the occasional scent of violets and a white-pepper character, especially when it's grown in marginal cooler sites."

Today let's turn our attention to South African shiraz/syrah -- as you can see, Cape winegrowers have yet to decide which name they prefer.

No matter. It would appear they have something going on with both names. Local buyers must agree, because more and more South African examples are finding their way into B.C.

It's too early to describe the Cape style definitively. Some examples ape the blueberry, cedar and spicy, ripe cherry flavours that mark the outgoing Australian style, while others offer up more smoke and a touch of the spicy, meaty northern Rhone flavours.

One thing's for sure: Most of the South African efforts I've tasted are ready to drink, and the prices are almost always reasonable.

Here are my notes:

You'll love the floral, licorice, jasmine aromas of the Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2001, with its underlying savoury, peppery aromas and mocha/vanilla scents. Its ripe, peppery fruit mirrors the New World syrah style, as do its smooth alcoholic textures.

I love the black plum jam, licorice and sweet berry fruit flavours -- they remind me of the Washington state version. A smooth, easy-sipping red, this one should fly out of wine shops.

The Bellingham Shiraz 2001 comes with a slightly fresher black plum and meaty, peppery fruit nose streaked with licorice. It's very soft and supple on entry, with fine acidity and a plummy berry fruit flavour finish.

It has quite an elegant style that finishes up with some earthy tobacco notes -- the perfect cross between the French and Australian styles. Well done.

The Drostdy-Hof Shiraz 2000 has a touch of the pruny port-style nose with Christmas pudding and pepper highlights. It picks up on the mid-palate, where less fruit and extract are counterbalanced by a more peppery black-licorice, dry character. This is a solid, affordable effort, to be used liberally around the barbecue.

The Robertson Winery Shiraz 2002 is less expressive, mixing leather, earth and savoury notes throughout. It's warm (alcoholic), soft, round and sweet, with a distinctive cherry- prune finish. It's a simple, affordable wine, not without appeal.

Durbanville Hills Shiraz 2000 has a great smoky, meaty, peppery shiraz nose. It's more syrah than shiraz, and does it ever taste good.

Rich, savoury licorice and pepper flavours, with a generous dollop of black plum jam, make this a delicious pick. The textures and tannins are refined. With its big, dry-farmed, low-yields flavour, it would easily disappear into a tasting of French syrah from the Crozes-Hermitage region.

Our last wine isn't made from shiraz, but it's so Rhone-like that French authorities are taking the owners to court. Goats do Roam 2002 is produced by the clever Fairview Estate people, who are not only well known for their wines but also make outstanding cheese from the milk of the goats that roam the property.

Goats do Roam, a wacky blend of pinotage, shiraz, grenache, cinsault, gamay and carignan, has a rich, fruity, meaty, licorice and plum jam nose. The entry is smooth, soft and fleshy with additional spicy black- cherry/licorice flavours. The finish is long, with just a dusting of tannins in the background.

Tasty, interesting and fairly priced, this one should be all over city restaurant lists.

WEEKEND WINE TASTING: South African Shiraz

Wine: Porcupine Ridge Syrah 2001, Coastal Region
Price: $18.99
UPC: 746925000786
Score: 16/20
Comments: Black plum jam, licorice and sweet berry fruits

Wine: Bellingham Shiraz 2001, Western Cape
Price: $15.95
UPC: 6001506002820
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: A combination of the French and Australian styles

Wine: Drostdy-Hof Shiraz 2000, Western Cape
Price: $13.25
UPC: 6001495200382
Score: 14/20
Comments: Pruny/Christmas pudding nose and pepper highlights

Wine: Robertson Winery Shiraz 2002, Breede River Valley
Price: $11.99
UPC: 746925000809
Score: 13/20
Comments: Warm (alcoholic), round with a cherry prune finish

Wine: Durbanville Hills Shiraz 2000, Coastal Region
Price: $18.95
UPC: 6001495000470
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Savoury licorice/pepper flavours with black plum jam.

Wine: Goats do Roam 2002, Paarl
Price: $14.95
UPC: 6002291000435
Score: 15.5/20