Syrah vs Shiraz in Margaret River: Why We’ve Made the Switch with our 2022 Vintage Release

A small name change, with a bigger story behind it.

At Passel Estate, we’ve long referred to our Lot 71 Reserve as a Syrah.

That decision didn’t come from following trends or borrowing terminology from elsewhere. It came from something much simpler:  When you sit with the wine, it does not feel like what most people expect from an Australian Shiraz.

It has always leaned toward spice, structure, restraint and detail; rather than the boldness, weight and overt fruit typically associated with Shiraz.  Stylistically, it is much closer to a Northern Rhône red wine.  In other words, a Syrah.

With the release of our 2022 vintage, we’re now bringing that same thinking across the range. What was previously labelled as Shiraz will now also carry the name Syrah.

Nothing about how we grow the fruit or make the wine has changed.  However, the Australian wine industry and wine drinkers are now more aligned with the stylistic distinctions this grape has always shown in the glass.  And that’s where this conversation really begins.

Same grape, different story

Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape.  That part is simple.

Where it becomes more interesting is in everything that shapes the final wine. Climate, vineyard site, viticulture practices, winemaking decisions, and intent all play a role.

Over time, the two names have come to signal different styles. Not different grapes – different expectations.  And once you start to notice that it changes how you read a label.

Why Australia called it Shiraz for so long

For most of Australia’s modern wine history, the grape has simply been called Shiraz. Across regions and across styles. That wasn’t necessarily about precision.  It was about identity.  Shiraz became one of the country’s defining wines:  Recognisable, reliable, and distinctly Australian.

Whether a wine was rich and powerful or more restrained and structured, it still carried the same name.  However over time, wine producers and wine drinkers have become more attuned to nuance.

The same grape can express itself in very different ways depending on site and approach, and increasingly, the language is catching up.  Using Syrah isn’t about rejecting Shiraz.  It’s about describing our stylistic intent more clearly.

What people expect from Shiraz

When someone sees Shiraz on a label, there’s usually a clear expectation:

🍷 Ripe blackberry and plum
🍷 Fuller body and higher alcohol
🍷 A richer, more generous feel
🍷 A sense of warmth and weight

It’s a style that helped define Australian wine globally. Bold, expressive, and often exactly what you’re in the mood for.

What defines Syrah instead

Syrah moves in a different direction. Not necessarily lighter, but arguably more detailed:

🍇 Spice, pepper and savoury notes
🍇 Aromatics that sit higher in the glass
🍇 Finer tannin structure
🍇 Freshness that carries through the finish

It’s less about immediate impact and more about how the wine unfolds.

Why some Margaret River wines are now called Syrah

Margaret River has long had a reputation for producing a range of expressions of Shiraz.

Some sites naturally lean toward wines with more lift, more structure, and more restraint. Wines that don’t quite fit the classic “big Shiraz” profile.

As understanding has evolved, so has the way these wines are described.  Not because they’ve changed; because we have become better at defining them.

Why Passel Estate’s Lot 71 Reserve has always been labelled Syrah

The Lot 71 Reserve Syrah was never crafted to chase boldness. From the outset, the focus has been elsewhere:

🍇 Careful selection of specific vineyard rows for hand harvest
🍇 Use of whole-bunch fermentation
🍇 Gentle handling throughout the winemaking process
🍇 Longer maturation in large format oak to preserve detail

These decisions consistently lead toward structure, balance and quiet complexity. Calling it Shiraz would suggest a different style. And that’s why it hasn’t been.

The 2022 vintage, bringing everything into alignment

With the release of the 2022 vintage, we’re aligning the name with what’s already in the glass:  Our Passel Estate Shiraz is now called Passel Estate Syrah.

This is not a shift in direction, rather, it is a clearer description.

If you’ve followed these wines for a while, nothing will feel unfamiliar.  If you are discovering them for the first time, the label now sets a more accurate expectation.

Why this shift matters for choosing a wine

The name on a bottle shapes how you approach it.  Shiraz suggests one experience. Syrah suggests another.

By choosing to label our wine Syrah, we’re signalling a wine that leans toward:

🍇 Structure over weight
🍇 Freshness over richness
🍇 Detail over boldness

Not necessarily better. Just different. And more clearly defined.

This shift in labelling isn’t unique to Passel Estate.  Across Margaret River, more producers are beginning to adopt Syrah where it better reflects the style in the bottle.  It is a broader evolution.  The grape hasn’t changed, but the way we understand and describe it has.  We are not following a trend, we are providing more clarity.

A wine that says exactly what it is

With the release of our 2022 Syrah at the end of this month, the name change feels like a natural step.  Everything remains the same, just expressed more clearly.

And for those paying attention, that clarity makes all the difference.