Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/457084
6 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 first press The road that Syrah took to get to Australia is finally coming into focus. The first challenge was identifying the origins of Syrah. A multitude of hypotheses has been put forward about the bir thplace of Shiraz, which include the cities of Shiraz in Iran, Syracuse on the island of Sicily and Tain l'Hermitage in the Rhône. One theory identified the island of Syros in Greece's Cyclades as Syrah's bir thplace. We now know from DNA research done by Carole Meredith of U.C. Davis and the INRA station in Montpellier that Syrah is a cross of Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza. Both grapes are natives of southeastern France, Mondeuse Blanche from the Savoie and Dureza from the Ardeche. It was probably in the Rhône Alpes region of Isère (located almost midway between the Ardèche and the Savoie), where both of these grapes are planted, that genetic drift between the two varieties resulted in the first Syrah vine. Fur ther DNA research has also revealed that Pinot Noir (which grew nearby in Burgundy) is definitely a relative and is probably Syrah's grandpar- ent, adding a definite note of nobility to Syrah's heritage while helping to explain its ability to express terroir so prolifically like Pinot Noir. How Syrah got from Southern France to Australia is another story. Arthur Phillip and James Busby both deserve significant credit for their contributions to Australian wine history, but neither brought the first Syrah cuttings to Australia. Phillip, an Englishman, is credited with bringing the first grape vines to Australia in 1787. Phillip's ship had stopped in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Capetown, South Africa prior to arriving in Australia, collecting Portuguese varieties and Constantia (Muscat) along the way, but no Syrah. Many authors attribute the arrival of Shiraz in Australia to James Busby, the father of Australian viticulture. Busby authored four books on wine, includ- ing Journal on a Tour through Some of the Australian winemakers have maximized the opportunity that all the natural attributes of Syrah provide. Master Sommeliers Gaiser and Bath identified three broad categories/styles and some very high-quality wines in our recent tasting.