133. Syrah/Shiraz Grape Guide - Same Grape, Different Names: Styles, Regions and Winemaking for WSET Level 2

Episode 133: Syrah/Shiraz Grape Guide - Same Grape, Different Names: Styles, Regions and Winemaking for WSET Level 2 Host: Joanne Close

Episode Length: 10:33

Release Date: October 13, 2026

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Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle Syrah and Shiraz show up all over the WSET Level 2 exam, from Barossa Valley and Hunter Valley to the Northern Rhône and the blends of Southern France. The Level 2 Mock Exam Bundle gives you realistic practice questions in the same format as the real exam, so you can find your weak spots before exam day and walk in feeling prepared.

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Related Episodes This episode touches on the Rhône, the Languedoc and the earlier Australian history episodes. If you want to go deeper, these pair well with it:

Episode 78 - The Languedoc Episode 81 - The Rhône Wine Laws Episode 82 - The Northern Rhône, Part 1: Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu & Château Grillet Episode 83 - The Northern Rhône, Part 2: Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage & Cornas Episode 84 - The Southern Rhône Episode 85 - Exploring Five Key Southern Rhône Crus: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Lirac, and Tavel Episode 131 - Australian Wine History: The Convicts Who Planted Australia's First Vines and the Wine Nerd Who Laid the Foundations Episode 132 - Australian Wine History - Why a "New World" Country Has Some of the World's Oldest Vines Episode Description The Australian wine series has reached the grape at its center. This episode is a full grape guide to Syrah/Shiraz, and it starts with a question students ask all the time: why does Australia call it Shiraz when most of the world calls it Syrah? Joanne explains the old theory that the grape came from the city of Shiraz in Persia, how that theory was circulating when James Busby collected his vines in 1831, and why Shiraz became the name that stuck in Australia. She then covers what DNA testing in 1998 revealed about where Syrah actually comes from.

From there, Joanne covers the WSET Level 2 essentials: grape characteristics, how moderate and warm climates change the style in the glass, and what oak and bottle age add. She covers the three Australian regions you need to know for Level 2 (Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley and South Eastern Australia) and then heads back to France for the Northern Rhône, the Languedo