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Canadian Shiraz Wine - surprisingly good!
Around the world Shiraz is probably the fastest growing grape. Shiraz is best known to be
produced in Australia, South Africa, and France. Canada has just recently started creating
shiraz wines but they have been showing very well.
Are shiraz and syrah the same?
Yes! Once and for all these are the exact same grape and just go by different names.
What is the best Canadian shiraz?
Canada's best shiraz is produced at Jackson-Triggs in the Okanagan they produce
the award winning 2004 Proprietors Grand Reserve Shiraz. Their 2004 Proprietors Grand
Reserve Shiraz won the Rosemount Estate Trophy for the worlds best syrah! Not bad for a grape
that people don't expect to grow in Canada!
Another great vintage I just tasted was the Jackson-Triggs Proprietors' Grand Reserve Shiraz 2003,
again from the Okanagan Valley. I have been consistently impressed with JT west coast wines. Its nose is
fruit laden with features dusty red fruit, blackberry and hints of blueberry. However, it is not
just another fruit bomb; it is backed by layers of green peppercorn, coffee and chocolate.
The structure is fine and it has good acidity to keep it interesting.
What are Ontario's shiraz like?
Ontario's shiraz is very much like Rhone wines with the classic white peppery spice. The Ontario
syrah wines are much lighter but considered more elegant.
What are BC's shiraz like?
The Okanagan Shiraz is has similar traits to the big up-front juicy fruit of
an Australian Syrah. The world prefers the big Shiraz's from Australia so BC shiraz
tend to get more attention in Canada.
What are five wineries that create a Canadian syrah?
Picking just five wineries is tough but here is my short list:
- Jackson-Triggs Okanagan
- Kittling Ridge Estate Wines
- Naked Grape
- Sandhill Wines
- Mission Hill Winery
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