There ain’t a scintilla of doubt that Shiraz is the most widely grown variety in Australian wine regions and admired by wine lovers galore. Its fruit-forward style and smoky and rich characteristics lead to an invigorating mouthfeel. Although it’s somewhat true that no other wine can match up to the popularity of this bold red, we know for a fact that other red wines are steadily carving a niche for themselves in the Australian wine industry. And Grenache is indubitably one of them.
When it comes to truly expressing the terroir of regions this wine belongs to, Grenache doesn’t lag behind Shiraz, if not ahead. Bewildered much? Well, allow us to differentiate between these two appetising reds for you to have a better understanding of both of them. Let’s get going!
Pronunciation
Though it won’t make much of a difference on your palate, it won’t hurt to get the pronunciation of these wines right. After all, wine has a lot more to it than just the taste. The correct way to pronounce Shiraz is ‘sha-razz’ whereas Grenache is pronounced ‘grenn-nosh.’
AKA (Also Known As)
Shiraz is so well-known by its other name around the world, that is ‘Syrah’ that often these two are used interchangeably in the wine domain. However, this is not the case with Grenache, as its other name ‘Garnacha’ is not so popular with the masses in Australia.
Origin of Wine
While Grenache owes its birth to the revered wine regions in Spain, Shiraz came into existence because of the well-known wine regions France is dotted with.
Ideal Climate
Grenache acquires its second-to-none traits in a climate that has anywhere from warm to hot temperatures in comparison to Shiraz which thrives exceptionally well in temperate to hot weather conditions.
Best Australian Regions
Exclusively grown across South Australia, Grenache thrives to the best of its ability in regions, namely Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Langhorne Creek. When it comes to Shiraz, however, there are scores of wine regions in South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria that are famous for producing the grape varietal. To name a few are Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills, Heathcote, Hunter Valley and the Grampians.
Wine Body
While Grenache is a medium-bodied red wine comprising alcohol content ranging from 13.5% to 16%, Shiraz, on the other hand, is immensely proud of its full body with ABV anywhere between 13% to 15%.
Wine Colour
Grenache flaunts a translucent violet-ruby shade when poured into the glass and displays thick wine legs owing to its naturally high content of alcohol. Shiraz, however, is dressed in the opaque ruby shade, thanks to its thickness.
Wine Nose
Grenache is famous for releasing strong but pleasant red fruits aromas of ripe strawberry, raspberry, plum and cherry with dashes of black pepper, baking spices, cigarette smoke and herbs, whereas Shiraz has a piquant nose emanating earthy notes accompanied by a bouquet of pepper, fruitcake, plum and spice.
Wine Palate
Australian Grenache packs a delicious punch of fruits as flavours of raspberry and ruby red grapefruit stimulate the palate along with mouth-watering notes of clove, leather, grilled plum and liquorice. In the case of Shiraz, the regions play a significant part in deciding the tasting notes. The palate is in for a treat with fruity flavours of blackberry, sweet tobacco smoke, blueberry, vanilla, chocolate and baking spices when it’s a South Australian Shiraz. However, Shiraz belonging to regions of Western Australia and Victoria is brimming with savoury flavours of olive, plum, leather, bacon fat, cocoa powder, boysenberry and green peppercorn.
Food Pairings
Grilled meats, sausages and tapas bring out the best flavours in Grenache. Courtesy of its high alcohol, the wine somewhat bears sweetness and thus goes very well with lamb, game curry or hot beef. Shiraz, being a robust wine, calls for robust food matches, which are game, barbecue, duck, curries or stews, and meat in general.
Best Drinking Time
Because the wine is released only when it’s preferable to drink, Grenache does not necessarily need any ageing. It should be relished young or within two years. Having said that, it has the cellaring potential of up to five years, and high-quality Grenache can age easily for 15 to 20 years. When it comes to Shiraz, wines from cooler regions demand over five years of ageing to taste their best, and those from warmer regions are supposed to be savoured young. Shiraz boasts the cellaring potential of up to 10 years.
We bet the next time you’re offered a glass of any of these two, you’d be much more intrigued by their entire being and not just the taste. Here’s mud in your eye!
