Francis Ford Coppola’s latest movie, Megalopolis, may be a masterpece, or an unholy mess. Most critics favour the latter verdict but there has been near-universal respect for the fact that the Godfather director financed the project with his own money, to the tune of $120m, all of which is believed to have come from his sale of the Coppola winery and brand to Delicato in 2021. In a sense, while it may not be about vineyards, barrels and bottles, Megalopolis is, undeniably, a ‘wine-movie’.
I was reminded of Coppola last week when a South African winemaker questioned whether he should label his wine Shiraz or Syrah?
Coppola, as he explained to me during a Meininger’s interview many years ago, was filming somewhere outside the US when someone asked him what the difference was between these terms. The great director admited that he didn’t know, so he sent an email to his winery to ask.
One of his staff - and, unlike one of his fellow Americans, Coppola really does employ the ‘best people’ - replied that there wasn’t one. To which he said “Does everyone know that?”
Which is why, ever since that moment, bottles of the Coppola Diamond series have had ‘Syrah-Shiraz’ on their labels.
It is easy to forget that Shiraz was once so successful as a name and style that some canny producers in southern France used it for their Minervois. Varietal labelling was banned for wines under the appellation, but French law had not yet caught up with the fact that there was an alternative name for their widely-planted grape so the officials were unable to prevent it.
Different styles
Of course, lots of wine professionals will chip in to explain that Shiraz now refers to bigger, bolder styles, while Syrah is more, well, Northern Rhône. And that’s true - outside Australia, where Shiraz is still used for almost every version. Elsewhere, ’Shiraz’ is rapidly becoming a name from the past. A little like ‘gramophone’ and ‘telex’.
Frankly, I’m not very bothered which name anyone chooses, but every time I see Shiraz on a single varietal Australian wine, I feel a twinge of nostalgia for the days when Cabernet-Shiraz blends were commonplace internationally. This, as a recent tasting of old vintages of Yalumba examples in London with winemaker Louisa Rose illustrated, has always been one of the great vinous pairings. And far, far more satisfying than so many ‘Bordeaux blends’ and pure Cabernet Sauvignons.
Anyone who loves complex, satisfying red wines should keep an eye out for Australian efforts such as Yalumba’s Signature, the Caley and FDR wines - or Penfolds Bin 389, or examples from Peppertree, Bleasdale or Tapanappa.
If my instincts are correct and ‘Red Blends’ are going to gain as much traction in other markets as they have in the US, I suspect that we are going to see a growing number of delicious wines based on these two varieties - though, quite possibly without any reference on the label to their presence - whatever the spelling.
In the meantime, I’ll raise a glass to Francis Ford Coppola who cared enough about his wine-drinking customers to give them a label they could easily understand. Whether he did this with Megalopolis is for others to decide.
The views and opinions expressed in the Devil's Advocate pieces are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the publication. They are intended to provoke discussion and debate. If you would like to offer your own response to this or any other article, please email the editor-in-chief, Anja Zimmer at zimmer@meininger.de.
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