Syrah Food Pairing
Updated July 19th 2023
What kind of food goes with Syrah? This wine guide will tell you everything you need to know about Syrah food pairing. You will also learn what is the difference between Syrah and Shiraz, and find the best food for the different styles.
Syrah is an excellent food wine. This rich and full-bodied dry red wine with characteristic aromas of pepper, chocolate, tobacco and blackberry pairs well with many dishes. Syrah is a great grape for grilled meat and heavy meat dishes, but there are many other good food matches for Syrah wines.
Syrah vs Shiraz
Before looking into food pairings for Syrah, let’s learn a little bit more about this popular grape variety. Syrah gives powerful full-bodied red wines. It is originally from the Rhône Valley in France, but it’s planted in many other countries. If Syrah is planted in Australia, it is called Shiraz. This is the most planted grape variety in Australia and it's slightly different from Syrah from France, the US or other countries.
- Syrah gives fruity wines with a dark purple color. Typical aromas are plum, blackberry and black pepper. Syrah from cool climate regions, such as France, Sonoma and Washington State, gives wines with earthy and minty flavors and high tannins. Cool climate Syrah usually has less ageing in oak, which gives more tart wines.
- Shiraz from Australia gives fruity, bold wines with a dark purple color. Compared to the French Syrah, Australian Shiraz is jammier, more full-bodied, higher in alcohol, and has characteristic aromas of tobacco, chocolate, blueberry and licorice. It also has a characteristic spicy aftertaste. Shiraz wines usually have more new oak ageing, resulting in richer wines with softer tannins and hints of vanilla.
Syrah food pairing
Do you like to drink a powerful red wine with your food? Then this wine guide is perfect for you. Syrah is a great food wine thanks to its fruity and spicy aromas.
When pairing Syrah with food, it's important to take into consideration the following characteristics of the grape:
- Smokey profile - pair Syrah with anything from the grill. It's a perfect BBQ wine!
- Medium high acidity - possible to pair it with fatty foods and high protein dishes (meat!).
- High tannins - pair it with equally heavy dishes.
A bottle of Syrah is best served at a temperature of 17-19°C (63-66°F).
Syrah with grilled Meat
The best food pairing with Syrah is red meat, especially BBQ meat. Roasted lamb, hamburgers, steak, ribs, brisket, and other grilled meats will taste even better together with a glass of Syrah or Shiraz. The grape’s characteristic aromas of tobacco, black pepper and sweet fruit pair perfectly with the smokey flavours from the grill. In our BBQ wine guide, you can read more about good wines for grilled food.
- For more neutral meat dishes, such as lamb without BBQ-sauces, try a Syrah from France or other cool climate areas. The flavors of mint and earth will combine very well with the lamb.
- For heavy BBQ-dishes with intense flavours, such as barbecue pork or ribs, choose a bold Shiraz. The power of the wine will stand up to the heavy food.
Tips! Don't forget to season your meat! Syrah together with garlic and herbs like thyme, oregano and rosemary is almost always a great match.
Syrah with Sausages
Syrah is an excellent pairing with many types of sausages, especially grilled pork sausages with garlic or typical Provençal herbs (rosemary, oregano). For spicy sausages, choose a Shiraz.
Syrah with Chicken
Syrah with chicken? Yes, it is possible. Most people may find a bold red wine like Syrah a bit too heavy for chicken, but a BBQ-glazed chicken or grilled chicken with herbs could work well with a cold-climate Syrah.
Syrah with Pizza
The best pizza with Syrah is pepperoni pizza. A rich juicy red wine with good acidity like Syrah pairs well with this type of pizza.
Syrah with Vegetarian food
Vegetarian food and red wine can be hard to pair, because veggie dishes are often light. There are many exceptions to the rule, though. A glass of Syrah is a good paring with hearty vegetarian dishes based on beans and lentils. Mushrooms and other earthy flavours also pair well with Syrah. A perfect vegetarian food pairing with Syrah is grilled vegetables, including aubergine, peppers and mushrooms.
Syrah Cheese Pairing
What cheese is good with Syrah? In fact, Syrah is a wine that pairs well with many cheeses. Syrah goes well with savory cheeses like smoked gouda, aged cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Shiraz cheese pairing is similar, but thanks to the fruity and jammy profile of Shiraz, it is also pairs well with salty blue cheeses.
Tips! Syrah also pairs great with charcuterie, so why not serve it together with a cheese/charcuterie board?
Syrah Snack Pairing
Syrah is a good wine to have with appetizers and snacks. Finger foods with cheese, black olives, charcuterie, garlic and meaty flavors will be great with Syrah.
Syrah with Desserts
Shiraz handles desserts better than many other red wines. Thanks to the chocolate aromas in the wine, a glass of Shiraz can be surprisingly pleasant with dark chocolate desserts, as long as they are not too sweet. A classic Shiraz dessert pairing is dark chocolate cake.
Tips! Avoid dry red wines with sweet desserts, as the sugar in the food will make the wine taste bitter.
Enjoy your bottle of Syrah (or Shiraz)!
