The Corkscrew | The murky origins of the syrah wine grape, also called shiraz

There are many legends about the origins of the dark-skinned, red-wine grape known as both syrah and shiraz.

The grape thrives in France's Rhone Valley, where it is called syrah and produces wines that, while not overwhelming, are packed full of tannins with generous flavours of ripe blackberries and strong hints of black pepper.

A DNA profiling conducted by the University of California, Davis, in 1999, found syrah to be the long-lost offspring of two rare grapes - dureza and mondeuse blanche - from southeast France. The first mention of what historians believe to be syrah is found in the works of Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder, who, in AD77, wrote about a prized wine made from a dark-skinned grape called allobrogica.

Another story about syrah links it to the city of Shiraz, in Iran, where a wine called shirazi was produced. One version describes how the Phocaeans took the wine to their outpost at Marseilles (then called Massalia), which was founded in 600BC by the Greeks. The grape then somehow made it overland to the Rhone Valley, which had not been colonised by the Phocaeans. Another version of the story suggests syrah, which was then called scyras, was brought over from Shiraz by Persian hermits who cultivated the grapes. Syrah's foremost claim to fame is found in Hermitage - specifically the hill above the town of Tain-l'Hermitage, in the northern Rhone Valley. There is a chapel at the top of the hill where a famous hermit, Gaspard de Sterimberg, was reputed to have settled after the Crusades. Today, Paul Jaboulet makes a sought-after 100 per cent syrah wine, called Chevalier de Sterimberg, in tribute to the recluse.

Other delicious examples of syrah can be found in the appellation of St-Joseph, where it is unblended. These wines were a favourite of the court of Louis XII, who owned a vineyard in St-Joseph. Today that vineyard is owned by the Guigal family.