In the 2005–2006 growing season, total Shiraz plantations in Australia stood at 41,115 hectares (101,600 acres), of which 39,087 hectares (96,590 acres) were old enough to be productive. These vines yielded a total of 422,430 tonnes of Shiraz grapes for wine production. This made Shiraz the most planted variety in Australia [37] and Australia the world's second largest Syrah/Shiraz grower, after France. [7]

Bowers, J.E; Siret, R; Meredith, C.P; This, P; Boursiquot, J.-M (2000). "A Single Pair of Parents Proposed for a Group of Grapevine Varieties in Northeastern France". Acta Horticulturae (528): 129–132. doi: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2000.528.15. Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on Grapevine Genetics and Breeding. Archived from the original on 2018-06-01 . Retrieved 2008-02-15. Oz Clark&Margaret Rand (2001). Oz Clarke's Encyclopedia of Grapes. Hardcourt, inc. p.g 253. ISBN 978-0-15-100714-1. Shiraz" is also the S in "GSM" (Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvèdre), which is common Australian designation for a Châteneuf-du-Pape-like blend. The Syrah grape was introduced into Australia in 1832 by James Busby, an immigrant who brought vine clippings from Europe with him, and it is almost invariably called "Shiraz". [6] Today it is Australia's most popular red grape, but has not always been in such favour; in the 1970s, white wine was so popular that growers were ripping out unprofitable Shiraz and Grenache vineyards, even those with old vines. In the Barossa Valley, the world's oldest continually producing commercial vineyard is believed to be the Shiraz vines at Turkey Flat in Tanunda that were originally planted in 1847. [35]Synonyms for Syrah include Antourenein noir, Candive, Entournerein, Hermitage, Hignin noir, Marsanne noir, Shiraz, Sira, Sirac, Sirah, Syra, and Syrac. [34] See also [ edit ] This is a partnership between Barossa Valley winemaker, Rolf Binder and UK wine merchant, Noel Young. Established in 1993 when Mourvèdre and Grenache were largely forgotten varieties, these two Rhône-philes have adapted that great larrikin of the Australian sky – the magpie – as their mascot. Driven by the desire to highlight the Barossa Valley’s rich resources of Rhône Valley varieties and to have a good laugh along the way, Magpie Estate claims Mourvèdre, Grenache and Shiraz as its own. The pair create a range of superbly crafted varietals and blends that collectively represent the many personalities and expressions of these three noble varieties in the Barossa. In 1968, there existed only 2,700 hectares (6,700 acres) of Syrah vineyards in France, primarily in the traditional appellations of northern Rhône, which at that time had not received much attention in the wine world for several decades, and the vineyards of which were not planted to full capacity. After the wines of northern Rhône were "rediscovered" by wine writers in the 1970s, plantings expanded considerably. This trend received an extra boost in the 1980s and 1990s, when influential wine writer Robert M. Parker Jr. awarded high scores, up to the "perfect" score of 100 points, to wines of some Rhône producers. The popularity of Australian Shiraz on the export market may also have played a role. In 1988, total French plantings stood at 27,000 hectares (67,000 acres), and the 1999 viticultural survey found 50,700 hectares (125,000 acres) of Syrah vineyards. France thus has the world's largest plantations of Syrah. [7] The wines that made Syrah famous were those from Hermitage, the hill above the town Tain-l'Hermitage in northern Rhône, where an hermitage ( chapel) was built on the top, and where De Stérimberg is supposed to have settled as a hermit after his crusades. Hermitage wines have for centuries had a reputation for being powerful and excellent. While Hermitage was quite famous in the 18th and 19th centuries, and attracted interest from foreign oenophiles, such as Bordeaux enthusiast Thomas Jefferson, it lost ground and foreign attention in the first half of the 20th century. [19] Victorian regions include Heathcote, roughly 1.5 hours north of Melbourne. Cooler climate regions such as Western Australia's Margaret River produce Shiraz with marginally less alcohol content and often in a more traditional French style.

Many factors, including the success of brands like Lindemans (part of Treasury Wine Estates) and Jacob's Creek in the UK, as well as Rosemount in the US and UK, were responsible for a dramatic expansion of plantings during the 1980s and 1990s; a similar trajectory occurred in California. However, the biggest factor in this expansion during the 1990s was a steady increase in exports due to the historically low value of the Australian dollar. [36] W. Blake Gray (2005-05-26). "RED FIZZ Australian-style red bubbly is a grown-up pleasure". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved 2006-10-14.

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In the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries, most Hermitage wine that left France did so as a blending component in Bordeaux wines. In an era when " clarets" were less powerful than today, and before appellation rules, red wines from warmer regions would be used for improvement (or adulteration, depending on the point of view) of Bordeaux wines. While Spanish and Algerian wines are also known to have been used for this purpose, top Bordeaux châteaux would use Hermitage to improve their wines, especially in weaker vintages. [6] [20] Arrival in Australia [ edit ] a b c Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, José Vouillamoz Wine Grapes p. 1029, Penguin Group 2012 ISBN 978-1-846-14446-2. Syrah has a long documented history in the Rhône region of southeastern France, but it was not known if it had originated in that region. To confuse matters, in northern Rhône, different clones of genuine Syrah are referred to as Petite Syrah (small Syrah) or Gros Syrah (large Syrah) depending on the size of their berries, with Petite Syrah being considered the superior version, giving wines higher in phenolics. [7]