Syrah 1830s. So while the name or spelling "Shiraz" may be an effect of the English language on a French name, there is no evidence that it actually originated in Australia, although it was definitely the Australian usage and the Australian wines that made the use of this name popular. Another legend of the grape variety's origin, based on the name Syrah, is that it was brought from Syracuse by the legions of Roman Emperor Probus sometime after AD 280. This legend also lacks documentary evidence and is inconsistent with ampelographic findings. The wines that made Syrah famous were those from
International Value Wine Awards 97% of wine purchases by volume in Canada. In its first year, the IVWA judged nearly 1,000 wines from 17 countries. Awards were organized by grape variety or style and by country of origin. The highest rated red wine was Château Sainte-Eulalie 2003 La Cantilène, from the Minervois appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in Languedoc, France. La Cantilène is a blend of 55% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 15% Carignan. It was awarded a score of 91 points. The highest rated white was Goundrey 2005 Homestead Unwooded Chardonnay from Western Australia; it scored 90 points. In 2007 the awards returned to Calgary