Syrah African wines. In the United States, wine produced from the grape is normally called by its French name, "Syrah". However, in cases where winemakers choose to follow a New World style, similar to Penfolds Grange, they may choose to label their wines as "Shiraz". Under American wine laws, either name may appear on the label. Syrah first appeared as a wine grape in California in the 1970s, where it was planted by a group of viticulturists who called themselves "Rhône rangers". Although most plantings of the grape are in California, there are increasing amounts of it being grown in Washington
Grape by about 2% per year. There are no reliable statistics that break down grape production by variety. It is believed that the most widely planted variety is Sultana, also known as Thompson Seedless, with at least 3,600 km (880,000 acres) dedicated to it. The second most common variety is Airén. Other popular varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Grenache, Tempranillo, Riesling, and Chardonnay. Commercially cultivated grapes can usually be classified as either table or wine grapes, based on their intended method of consumption: eaten raw (table grapes) or used to make wine (wine grapes). While almost all