d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original Shiraz Grenache, McLaren Vale, 2013

July 24th is National Tequila Day, but it’s also National Shiraz Day! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to celebrate both!

Shiraz is the same grape as Syrah, which comes from the Rhône Valley of France. When Australia grows Syrah, however, they call it Shiraz.

As rings true with many grapes when you compare the old world version (France) vs the new world version (Australia), Shiraz is a lot fruitier than its Rhône Valley counterpart, which is much more earthy. Shiraz is often loud and bold, like Australia! But you still get the roasted meat and pepper qualities that Syrah is known for.

Shiraz Day snuck up on us, so we had to pull one from Bart’s wine fridge, and he didn’t have any 100% Shiraz wines. But we did find this lovely Shiraz Grenache blend:

d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original Shiraz Grenache, McLaren Vale, 2013

Grenache is actually a grape from Spain, but it’s well known as a grape grown in the Rhône Valley of France as well, making it a common blending partner with Syrah.

Get your nose in this one, and you find aromas of smoked meat or meat on a barbecue, as well as ripe red plums and stewed strawberries with a hint of white pepper. Tasting it, we were surprised by how bright it is, with a tartness of cranberries. It is fruit-forward with grippy tannins and a long, lingering finish of red fruits.

This is a fun wine!