RedLead grape in 1
Syrah
Also called Shiraz.
An outsider that has found a few genuine homes in Italy. In Cortona in southeast Tuscany it makes dark, peppery, structured wine that is the point of the appellation rather than an addition to it. In Sicily it ripens easily and gives a fuller, riper style. Elsewhere it is usually a minority partner adding colour and spice.
Worth knowing
Cortona is one of the very few Italian appellations built around an international variety on purpose rather than by accident. The producers there argued for it and got the rules written accordingly, which is not how most of the system came about.
Where it is allowed21 appellations