1. SYRAH = SHIRAZ!?

2. Menu

3. Pre-taster: Esk Valley Verdehlo, 2009 Madeira, and beyond... 2 vineyard blend: gravel meets silty gravel, 11 year old vines. 60% barrique fermentation with indigenous yeasts left on lees till blending and bottling; 40% cool fermented in tank with selected yeast strains.

4. Syrah = Shiraz: its a matter of style

5. The World of Wine (more or less)

6. South Australia

7. McLaren Vale

8. Mitolo Jester Shiraz, '06 Ben Glaetzer, Winemaker, Australian Artisnal 'Superstar.' Moderating maritime influence. Yield around 4 tonnes an acre (70hl/ha). Relatively low yielding vintage. Fermented on skins at cool temperatures, then pressed. Partial barrel fermentation with natural malolactic fermentation. Aged in 2-4 year old French oak, previously used for aging G.A.M. (tete du Cuve), for 9 months.

9. Barossa Valley

10. Langmeil Hangin' Snakes, '07 Barossa Deutsch. Old vines. 95% Shiraz, 5% co-fermented Viognier, open fermented then basket pressed into new and old French oak barriques for 8 months.

11. Chile

12. Colchagua Valley

13. Montes Alpha, '07 Ideal conditions? Low yield, six tons per hectare (2.4 tons per acre). Aged 12 months in French oak barrels. 90% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Viognier.

14. Waipara

15. Muddy Water 3.8 tons per hectare (1.5 T/acre), hand harvested and destemmed. 6 day cold soak, on skins for 21 days. Barrel aged for 16 months. Some of the vines top grafted onto their Bordeaux reds. The southern most Syrah in the world?

16. Hawkes Bay

17. C J Pask Reserve '02 Ngaruroro River – Gimblett Gravels. Ripe fruit, some whole clusters and a warm ferment. 100% Syrah Approximately 12 months in French oak.

18. Marlborough

19. Fromm NZ artisnal winemaking at its best (personal opinion clearly stated!), organic already and a learning curve into biodynamics. Marginal varietal, never over ripe. Syrah 93%, Viognier 7%.

20. The Rhone Valley

21. St. Joseph

22. Yves Cuilleron St. Joseph, '02 Cuillerron: A Rhone great 20-40 year old vines from hillside terraces. 100% Syrah on shallow granitic soils. High-density planting (8,000-10,000 vines per hectare), hands-on organic. Hand harvested, partially destemmed. Fermented in open, temperature- controlled vats for about 3 weeks, with regular cap-punching and pumping- over. Malolactic-fermented in barriques with native yeasts. 18 months in barriques.

23. Cornas

24. Auguste Clape Cornas, '07

25. Vote Early and Vote Often

26. The Bottom Line