In the ever more internationalized world of wine, having clear and easy to read wine labels has become a necessity for wine producers.  As a part of this effort many producers now use ‘standardized’ names for grapes.   While Chardonnay, for instance, was once know as Pinot Chardonnay in some countries, it is now Chardonnay the world over.   Although there are a few holdouts like Pinot Gris, which is known as Pinot Grigio in Italy, there is only one grape where the name situation seems to be getting more, not less, confusing—and the name of that grape is Syrah.

When most Americans think of wines made from Syrah, that classic black grape, they think of the robust red wines from Australia, where the same grape is known as Shiraz. Over the last few decades, Americans have started drinking a lot of Shiraz. Indeed, according to the USDA, Between 1993 and 2008, the volume of red wine imported into the U.S. from Australia increased by nearly 2500%.

France’s Rhone Valley, long believed to have been the birthplace of the Syrah grape, has been producing Syrah wines since Roman times.   Rhone Syrah and Australian Shiraz, although genetically the same grape, often produce very different sorts of wines. Both create big cherry flavors, but Rhone Syrahs tend to be drier and more herbal, while Australian Shirazes tend to be more fruit forward and more peppery.

The international popularity of Australian Shiraz has caused winemakers around the world, even some Rhone-based winemakers, to start labeling their Syrahs as ‘Shiraz.’   In some cases, these non-Australian Shirazes are made with grapes grown from Australian clones, or using Australian wine making techniques, but not always.  Indeed, at many wineries the decision to call a particular wine a Syrah or a Shiraz seems to be as much a matter of marketing as anything else.  In Israel, where the grape has experienced a growing popularity in recent years, both grape names are used, and there are even a few Israeli wineries that produce both a Syrah and a Shiraz.

Israel has a few wine regions with just the right sort of climate for growing quality Syrah (or Shiraz) grapes. In particular, most of Israel best Syrahs and Shirazes seem to come from either the Upper Galilee, or surprisingly, the Negev.  When well made, Israeli Syrahs and Shirazes tend to have just the right heft to make them a good choice for autumn drinking.

So for this month’s Fruit of the Vine, I decided to try to find a few good Israeli Syrahs and Shirazes.  Initially I had intended to taste seven wines in preparation for writing this column, but   due to a few logistical snafus, I only received three of the wines in time for my deadline.  Fortunately, however, all three wines, which were all made from grapes grown in the Upper-Galilee, were very good.

The first wine I tasted, and the most Australian in style, was Dalton’s 2007 Shiraz.  This youthful, fruit forward, medium-to-full bodied, dark-garnet colored wine has an intense nose of black cherries, vanilla, pipe tobacco, black pepper, and smoky oak. Look for flavors of black cherries and cranberries, with a nice bit of black pepper on the finish.  Ready to drink now, this well balanced Shiraz should be able to cellar until 2011.

Score: B+

The next wine I tasted was the most Rhone-like of the trio. Benyamina’s 2005 Chosen Ruby Syrah is a medium-to-full bodied wine, which was blended with 3% Viognier, and aged in new French-oak barrels for 16 months.  It has a bright garnet color, and flavors and aromas of black cherries, plums, rosemary, oak and black pepper, with hints of tarragon and allspice.  Although drinking well now, it will really only start to show at best sometime next year, and should then cellar well until at least 2012.

Score: B+

The final wine, which has a distinctly Mediterranean style, was Recanati’s 2006 Syrah. Aged for a year in a mixture of American and French oak, this dark-garnet colored, medium-to-full bodied Syrah has flavors and aromas of red cherries, plums, white pepper and oak, with hints of boysenberries, cinnamon and vanilla, and an intriguing note of fennel. It is fully ready to drink, and should continue to drink well for another two years.

Score: B+

Israeli Syrahs and Shirazes tend to be very food friendly wines, and can be particularly nice when served with rich beefy dishes. So the next time you sit down eat to a big, juicy, steak, think about opening a bottle of Israeli Syrah. You won’t regret it.