This month we are celebrating International Shiraz Day by reflecting upon the last 20 years of Shiraz by Taylors Wines.

Whilst the Taylor family wine business was first established with a vision to crafting Cabernet Sauvignon that would rival the best in the world, the Shiraz variety has been a part of the story from the beginning.  Of course, the family’s plan was to plant most of the Clare Valley vineyard with Cabernet Sauvignon but the young Bill Taylor insisted that a small block be set aside to also plant Shiraz.  He had a feeling this variety would be popular with the Australian public.  Well, this foresight proved to be very correct and a generation later, the Taylors Shiraz is one of the most popular wines in Australia*.

Shiraz (also known as Syrah in other parts of the world) is a dark-skinned grape used primarily to produce red wine. The style and flavour profile of Shiraz is influenced by the climate where the grapes are grown. Moderate climates tend to produce medium to full-bodied wines with flavours of blackberry and black pepper notes. In warmer climates, the wines are more consistently full-bodied with softer tannin, richer fruit and spice notes of liquorice, anise and earthy leather. Generally, the acidity and tannin level of Shiraz allows the wines produced from the grape to have favourable aging potential. Shiraz was first planted on the Taylor family estate fifty years ago and currently there is 390 ha planted across 40 separate blocks on the Clare Valley estate.  There’s a Shiraz for everyone in the Taylors Wine Collection and every one of them an award-winner at one time or another.  Here’s a look back at the last 20 vintages of award-winning Taylors Shiraz – from The Pioneer to St. Andrews, Jaraman, Taylor Made, TWP, the original Estate and of course, the Promised Land.

*Source - IRI scan sales data MAT 3/2/19