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Riedel Grape Series Shiraz Glass (twin pack) (6404/30)
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From its beginnings in northern Bohemia down to this day, for 11 generations and 250 years, Riedel Glass has stood for the high art of glassmaking. So much more than mere receptacles, Riedel decanters and glasses are imbued with the idiosyncrasies of the wine they are charged to accentuate, turning wine consumption into a graceful, prosaic experience.
The Riedel glass designs are based on the exceptional characteristics of each grape variety, which in turn determines the shape, size and rim diameter of the bowl.
The latest machine blown technology, in conjunction with the seamless pulled stem, offers a special design feature, which creates an indent on the bottom of the bowl, reflecting the light and adding another dimension to the lively color of wine.
Shiraz in a paragraph (or three): With a history cloaked in myth and riddled with conflicting stories, the true origin of the Syrah (French for Shiraz) grape has only begun to creep from the shadows of history since DNA profiling located its genetic forbearers in 1999. Before then any number of tales were proposed, believed and debunked to explain the grape’s roots, including that it was from the Iranian city of Shiraz (those grapes were white). Scientific profiling, however, shows that Syrah is the offspring of two obscure grapes from South-Eastern France – Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche.
It’s not known exactly when this cross-pollination took place, with some evidence pointing to its existence as far back as 1st Century AD. What is known is that Syrah’s popularity has had two peaks; the first, in the 18th and early 19th centuries, centred on the Hermitage region (named after the Knight Gaspard de Stérimberg, who was granted permission by the Queen of France to live there as a hermit after returning injured from the Albigensian Crusade in 1224) of Northern Rhone. Wines produced there were for a long time deemed peerless in Europe. Their popularity diminished with competition in the early 20th century, however, and the grape seemed headed for the same relative obscurity as its parents. But then came the New World producers, and in particular, Australia.
In 1831, a Scotsman named James Busby planted some French Syrah cuttings in the Hunter Valley and the Sydney Botanical Gardens; within years it was Australia’s most important and prolific varietal. However, it wasn’t until the late 1980’s (and following a glut of Chardonnay production that in many cases replaced existing Syrah vineyards) that Australian Syrah started making waves in international markets. This popularity spread to old world producers such as France, and with the force of the modern market place, Syrah was brought back from the brink of obscurity. Nowadays it is estimated to be the worlds seventh most grown grape, with Australia second only to France in terms of production.
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