By Samuel Squire
Today, July 23, marks Australia’s inaugural national Shiraz Day, giving recognition to one of the nation’s most established and beloved varietals.
With Shiraz vines making up some of the nations’ oldest plantings, it’s high time the variety gets its own day of appreciation among the wine community.
This is the first ever Shiraz Day, a notable varietal left off the list compared to other varietals often celebrated internationally such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, rosé, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Shiraz was also the most crushed variety in Australia for the 2020 vintage, being crushed by four out of every five wineries across the country.
At the time of writing, bottled Shiraz is currently on a +7 percent rise in value, with a +2% increase in price per tonne, reaching $921, according to Wine Australia.
There are 39,893 hectares of Shiraz planted in Australia which represents 29.5% of the total plantings and 46% of red grape plantings.
In 2020, Australian wineries crushed 376,000 tonnes of Shiraz, which accounts for 25% of the total crush for the year.
Treasury Wine Estates reported that Pepperjack Shiraz is the highest grossing Shiraz in value across Australia, which is currently in +14% value growth.
Pepperjack winemaker Richard Mattner said Shiraz is a true standout for Australian wine with well-earned heritage planted deep in the Barossa region of South Australia.
He adds that while emerging, new and often little-known varietals are getting picked up by new consumers and millennials, Shiraz remains a fan favourite.
“Although millennials have a willingness to discover emerging varietals, Shiraz is still the most purchased variety amongst younger consumers,” he said.
“The great thing about Shiraz from the Barossa is that it’s so widely acclaimed both here in Australia and around the world.
“Consumers’ knowledge of the Barossa is very good and a lot of this comes down to the history of the region, particularly given it has some of the oldest wineries in Australia such as Penfolds, Saltram and Yalumba, which are more than 160 years old!”
Mattner believes the rise could be partially attributed to more wine consumers being more interested in the region of the wines they purchase, wanting to get closer and know more about the producers behind the wine.
“Consumers continue to look for regions they are familiar with and they still look at what the Barossa is doing because there is a deep heritage stamped in the region, and the Shiraz is always consistently good,” he said.
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