A syrah by any other name

The Rhone Valley is the spiritual birthplace of syrah, the playground of grenache and the creche of viognier and a dozen other varieties.

Ironically, Rhone producers cannot call their syrah by that name; that privilege is the preserve of the Californians and Chileans. Meanwhile, in Australia, the wine has been re-branded into perhaps the world's most sought after red - shiraz.

According to French law, the wines of the Rhone must be sold ...