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
Muscat (grape) Muscat (grape) The Muscat family of grapes include over 200 grape varieties belonging to the "Vitis vinifera" species that have been used in wine production and as raisin and table grapes around the globe for many centuries. Their colors range from white (such as "Muscat Ottonel"), to yellow ("Moscato Giallo"), to pink ("Moscato rosa del Trentino") to near black ("Muscat Hamburg"). Muscat grapes and wines almost always have a pronounced sweet floral aroma. The breadth and number of varieties of Muscat suggest that it is perhaps the oldest domesticated grape variety, and there are theories that most families within the