Shiraz/Syrah

Shiraz is more easy-going and artisan than cab, perhaps, but no less powerful at its best. In fact, shiraz gets even more dense when grown in places such as Australia or South Africa. In France, shiraz - or syrah - has been grown in the Rhone valley since Roman times, and many think it's the oldest deliberately cultivated wine grape of all. These wines - with names like St Joseph, Cote Rotie, and Hermitage - tend to be muscular inky/tarry, peppery, spicy offerings, with the New World giving more opulent, crowd-pleasing, plum jam-type wines, but neither should be taken lightly; they can be seriously potent and longlived.