Syrah Masters 2017: the results in full

What did the judges think? (continued)

Emma Symington MW

The Syrah Masters confirmed that Syrah is a world class variety, capable of making excellent wines in a large number of different countries and regions and at all prices from the everyday to the ultra premium.

It also confirmed for me that there is no such thing as Australian Shiraz. This tasting really showed the huge diversity in styles of Shiraz/Syrah coming from numerous diverse regions in this vast country and underlined the high quality levels at all price points.

The Syrahs from Hakes Bay stood out for their pure black fruit profile and intense black pepper notes. A singular style that really marks out this region.

What was a surprise was the overall high quality of the wines, resulting in a lot of high scores. There were very few wines that disappointed us – and conversely a lot of wines that really over delivered at their price point. It is clear from this tasting that Syrah is one variety where consumers really can get value for money and drink some truly delicious wines.