Meet the grape that put Aussie reds on the map

The enigmatic origins of the Syrah variety have finally been decoded thanks to the science of DNA analysis. University of California Davis researchers collaborating with Monpellier University in France have been responsible for solving many of the most difficult amplelographic questions of our time, including the parentage of the Syrah variety. For over a century wine experts have speculated over the origin of Syrah, proffering theories that it originated in the similarly named Iranian city of Shiraz or was brought by Phoenicians from Syracuse in Sicily. Both theories turned out to be erroneous. US and French scientists proved that the parents of Syrah are two rather obscure French grapes.