The medal-winning wines from the Global Syrah Masters 2022

We list all the medallists from this year’s Global Syrah Masters – the biggest UK-based competition for wines made with this grape – with top-performers including bottles from the Barossa and Hawke’s Bay, along with the Okanagan and Castilla y León.

IF THERE’S a lesson I’ve learnt in 2022, it’s this: if you want a reliably delicious fine red wine, then opt for Syrah from Barossa or Hawke’s Bay. It’s a conclusion I drew after a day spent tasting nothing but Syrah/Shiraz for the Global Syrah Masters, where not only did we have one of the highest hauls of Gold and Master medallists of any competition we’ve run, but the majority of the top-scoring wines were from these two regions in Australia and New Zealand respectively. These great reds weren’t cheap, but they didn’t disappoint for their price.

While these regions dominated among the standout performers, they weren’t alone. Other beacons of Syrah brilliance were found in the Western Cape, the Languedoc, Castilla y León, and the Okanagan Valley in Canada. This also leads me to conclude that Syrah is a safe bet for fine wine from quite a broad range of locations. Sadly, such reliability doesn’t appear to translate into fashionable status – of all the noble grapes that deliver outstanding single-varietal wines, Syrah seems to have the least draw. Even the producers of the Northern Rhône – the historic home of great Syrah – seem to lag somewhat behind the great names of Tuscany, Bordeaux, and Burgundy when it comes to the must-haves in any great wine collection.

Based on this year’s Masters, that should change, with Syrah deserving a higher reputation for great wine. Perhaps the problem for the grape’s upmarket image stems from another aspect to the variety – it also yields reliably good inexpensive wine. This year we even awarded a Gold to a wine under £10 – aSyrah/Gamay blend from the Yarra Valley made by De Bortoli. However, it seems the sweet spot for quality and value when it comes to Syrah is £15-£20 in UK retail prices. In this band we had six Golds, taking in wines from France and Spain, as well as Australia.

As for the styles of Syrah prevalent on the market today, it was pleasing to taste wines with both concentration and grace. Even in the samples from the Barossa – an area famous for generous drops – there was an element of restraint, with the sweeter notes from new oak supporting, rather than dominating the wines, and some fresh fruit characters bringing a mouth-watering edge. But don’t think this detracted from what makes these wines famous – they were still loaded with juicy black fruit and toasty, sometimes coconutty barrique-sourced notes. As panel chair Jonathan Pedley MW said: “It was a relief that in the search for a little more elegance the Australians have not sacrificed the profound fruit concentration that makes their Shiraz wines so special. The fruit may be a tad less jammy and the oak use more subtle, but the joyous depth and density of their finest Shirazes is still there.”

Meanwhile, the Syrahs from Hawke’s Bay delighted too, but delivered a slightly different style – one that shows more restraint. With red and dark fruits, and sometimes a tapenade-like character, along with a prominent white pepper note, these wines are close in style to top drops from the Northern Rhône, giving the New Zealand Syrah appeal for those looking for something a little spicier and lighter in character than you might find from the Barossa.

In terms of weaknesses observed during the competition, we had a few wines with elevated volatile acidity, some that tasted oxidised, and a few suffering from the opposite – the cooked-egg aromatics from reduction. “As the tasting demonstrated, Syrah is capable of greatness, but like all grapes it needs careful handling in the vineyard and cellar to realise that potential,” concluded Pedley.

About the competition