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Australia's defining blend?

Matthew Jukes and Tyson Stelzer at the Great Australian Red tasting in Australia

Matthew Jukes and Tyson Stelzer, pictured left to right, argue that Australia's greatest reds include Cabernet as well as Shiraz. 

What does a blend of Syrah and Cabernet say to you? I have memories of this particular recipe once having a certain currency in Provence. And I note more and more ‘Bordeaux blends’ around the world featuring a little seasoning of Syrah. 

But the country with the greatest tradition of blending these two varieties is Australia. Shiraz/Cabernet blends were what Aussies called claret and were the standard reds in the late nineteenth century. They were common once again in the mid...