Syrah - Shiraz
- the State of the Play

There has been some confusion over the origins of the Syrah grape. Despite its alternative Australian title of Shiraz there is not much evidence to support the idea that its origins lie with the Iranian city of the same name. The romantic myth that linked the variety to the wines made in Iran in the 9th century has little or no ampelographic support and the contention that the Phocaeans brought the grape from their home in Anatolia to their settlement in Marseilles around 600 BC holds even less credence.