The spice of life

New World Shiraz was one of the hottest sections in this year’s Sommelier Wine Awards. Chris Losh talks to judges and sommeliers to find out the secrets of the category’s success

As the sommeliers start to fill up the available judging slots and the entry forms start to roll in for the 2009 Sommelier Wine Awards, it’s worth having a look at another of the categories that the judges enjoyed from the 2008 event.

Last issue, we looked at Spain, which was the outstanding European section by some distance. But as the mercury drops and we start to move from ‘salad’ to ‘stew’ mode, it seems fitting that the focus
in this issue is something that epitomises the words ‘rich and warming’: New World Shiraz.

You might think that this is something of a non-story. After all, the category has, broadly speaking, attracted non-stop praise for over a decade. But in fact, in the first Sommelier Wine Awards (held in 2007), the judges were distinctly underwhelmed. Sure, there were lots of countries trying to do things with the grape, but they didn’t give the impression of having got to grips with it yet, and particularly at the higher end, the prices were out of whack with what was in the glass.

Well, not in 2008.

‘The wines were following the prices,’ said Tom Forrest from Vinopolis. ‘The top-end guys were trying really hard to get top-end wines.’

Not only that, but there were good examples right the way through the price levels, from just above house wine to pretty serious super premium. This was a category that delivered pretty much right the way through.

At the lower end (under £8), the wines tended to be about plenty of cheerful fruit and a lick of oak, but above this level there was an interesting change in tack, with often a good deal more structure and
even elegance, something not unconnected with a growing number of Shirazes from cooler regions.

Yes, there were some big blockbuster powerhouses from the Barossa, but also successful examples from Western Australia, Cape Agulhas at the wind-blown foot of Africa, and even Marlborough, for heaven’s sake. And it was heartening to see that, with Shiraz increasingly planted all over the New World, so many of the countries seem to be getting the hang of it.

As wine consultant and former sommelier Louis Villard put it at the final stage of judging, ‘I was impressed with this shortlist – they were well-made wines and the prices were good.’

The only criticism from the judges in the early stages was that some of the wines (usually the more expensive ones) were simply trying too hard, with some wines falling short because of over-extraction. ‘Overdone, over-baked and over here,’ as Asia de Cuba’s Nigel Lister poetically put it.

Nonetheless, these overworked wines tended to be weeded out in the first round, leaving a short list that was consistently excellent, and a far cry from the less impressive efforts of the previous year. There was a lot of very good wine here – and Liberty, with half of the Gold-listed wines, and a quarter of the Shortlist, deserve a special mention.

Whenever the judging teams at the Sommelier Wine Awards spend a long time debating style rather than quality, you know that it’s an impressive flight, and as Will Buckland of Glendola Leisure pointed out, ‘This was probably the most competitive flight – we changed our minds a lot as we went through.’

So, plenty of good wines, decent prices, and no shortage of ambition. Just what we need as share prices drop with the temperature.

FROM THE TRADE SHIRAZOPHILES

David Gleave MW, Liberty Wines

Shiraz is performing well at about £6 a bottle dpd and above. It should not be undersold on a wine list. The more you pay, the better the wine you will get, and the happier your customers will be with their choice. This obviously means that there is plenty of scope for listing more than one Shiraz.

There is much more stylistic diversity in the grape than a few years ago, from the ripe styles (McLaren Vale, Barossa) to the spicier, peppier wines from cooler climates like the Adelaide Hills, or Hawkes Bay. Again, another reason for listing more than one…

We carry 20 Shirazes from Australia, and I think that country still leads the way by quite some distance. There is a depth and breadth in Australian Shiraz that no other country can match. And the best producers are not standing still – they are pushing ahead with new styles. The use of Grenache has been a great addition to the category, too. 

Roger Jones, The Harrow Inn, Little Bedwyn

New World Shiraz is a massive part of our list, with 100 bins from Australia alone, and verticals of all the greats. Prices range from £24 for Glaetzer The Wallace Shiraz to £300 for the 1985 Penfolds Grange.

Some of the big boys were drunk far too young in the early days after Parker glorified them, but with age, these wines certainly become more elegant. Alcohol can be a problem in their youth but if balanced these wines are sublime.

New Zealand has been producing good Syrah for some time, lower in alcohol than Oz and very much in the Rhône Style. The Great South in Western Australia is also a cool climate area producing Shiraz of great quality. Our customers love this stuff.

Mike Harrison, Ex The George

I am a fan of the varying styles of New World Shiraz. Because the wines differ in price and to some extent style, they appeal to many different customers. The Chilean wines have been the best value in recent times, though Australia has delivered superb drinkability for the last 10 years and is now searching for terroir driven wines with greater complexity and a higher price point.

Editorial feature from Imbibe Magazine - November / December 2008

Add your comment

Please sign in or register if you'd like to comment.