Syrah in a minute
- Tastes of
- Blackberry
- Black pepper
- Olive
- Smoke
- Most famous in
- The northern Rhône: Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie
- What to try next
- If you like it, try Grenache for something softer, or Cabernet Sauvignon for more structure.
How it feels in the glass
- Body
- LightFull
- Tannin
- SoftGrippy
- Acidity
- SoftZingy
Body is how heavy the wine feels. Tannin is the dry grip of strong tea. Acidity is the mouth-watering freshness of lemonade. How to taste wine
What to eat with it
Barbecue, lamb, slow-cooked stews.
Smoky, peppery wine for smoky, peppery food. Syrah has the weight for meat off the grill or out of the pot.

The business side
Syrah in the northern Rhône is grown on terraces so steep that labour costs per hectare rival the Mosel's. Elsewhere (Australia as Shiraz, the Languedoc, California) it is a volume grape with published prices in the low hundreds to low thousands of dollars per ton.
Economics
Syrah in the northern Rhône is grown on terraces so steep that labour costs per hectare rival the Mosel's. Elsewhere (Australia as Shiraz, the Languedoc, California) it is a volume grape with published prices in the low hundreds to low thousands of dollars per ton.
Key facts
Where it grows
Famous wines
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Château de Beaucastel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques PerrinRhône
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, HermitageRhône
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Hermitage Cuvée CathelinRhône
E. Guigal, Côte-Rôtie La LandonneRhône
E. Guigal, Côte-Rôtie La MoulineRhône
E. Guigal, Côte-Rôtie La TurqueRhône
Sources
- California Grape Crush Report (prices per ton by variety and district), CDFA / USDA NASS, 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
- OIV Distribution of the world's grapevine varieties, OIV, 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
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