Australian Shirazmatazz

Jacob's Creek announced on Monday that the 2013 vintage is already underway in Australia – and the prospects for quality are good (for those vines that have escaped the bushfires).

Approximately one in four grapevines in Australia is Shiraz, and the variety is found from the Hunter Valley in the east to Margaret River in the west – a span, it is worth remembering, that is wider than Europe. Picking dates cover three months, from February to May. Alcohol levels range from 12 to over 15%.

It's little wonder, then, that Australian Shiraz is not easily pigeonholed, as Sarah Ahmed...