Heritage Shiraz
Heritage Shiraz is a single-varietal wine from our estate vineyard.
Known as Syrah or Hermitage in France, the grape earned the name Shiraz in Australia, where it was established around 1831.
At our Home Ranch, we’ve planted both heritage Australian Shiraz and French Hermitage Syrah grapes, producing a wine of deep purple hue and striking character.
This smooth, generous wine pairs effortlessly with food, offering a canvas for your culinary imagination. Picture a roasted pork loin seasoned with garlic and onions, bratwurst, spicy lamb dishes, or cold meats with chutney. For a truly indulgent treat, Heritage Shiraz shines alongside smoky BBQ pork spare ribs, embracing the richness of the sauce while complementing its bold flavors.
Decant for one hour or more. Serving temperature: 65°F
We wanted the very best of Syrah, Shiraz, and Hermitage, so we sourced young vines from the nurseries of McLaren Vale, the home of Australian Shiraz, and Hermitage, the heart of Rhône Syrah. These vines—the great-great-great-grandchildren of a legendary ancestor—were planted in the soils of our Home Ranch in Dry Creek Valley.
Rhône grapes thrive in well-drained, gravelly soils, and our ranch provides just that. Centuries of flowing waters left a flat strip of land adjacent to a gravel-rich hill, offering excellent drainage and deep roots—the perfect foundation for our finest Shiraz.
To add fragrance and elegance, we follow the Rhône tradition of co-fermenting a touch of Viognier with Shiraz. This technique softens the wine, bringing balance and a smooth, integrated mouthfeel to a grape that can otherwise be rustic and bold.
We named the wine Heritage, celebrating both the heritage of these vines and our own Australian roots. Visitors from Australia seem to agree, often making Heritage Shiraz a favorite—proof that tradition, care, and a little ingenuity go a long way.
Shiraz / Syrah – A Storied History
Legends say the Syrah grape may have originated as far back as 5,000 BC in the Persian city of Shiraz. The Phocaeans are said to have carried it to their colony around Marseilles, then called Massilia, around 600 BC.
Fast forward to 1224, when a French knight, Sir Gaspard de Stérimberg, returned home wounded from the Albigensian Crusade in southern France. Granted permission by Queen Blanche de Castille to recover, he established a small hermitage atop a hill, planted grapes, and made wine. Living the life of a hermit, Gaspard’s vines came to be known as “Hermitage”—the place of the hermit.
Chevalier Gaspard is believed to have introduced the Shiraz grape to the Rhône and cultivated it at his hermitage. Over time, Syrah became the French synonym, while Shiraz endured as the proper name, particularly in Australia, where James Busby planted Hermitage cuttings in Parramatta in 1831. The name “Hermitage Shiraz” was eventually simplified to just Shiraz to avoid confusion with the French designation.
Modern DNA studies show Syrah is the offspring of Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche, grapes from southeastern France. Yet, how they arrived there remains a mystery. Perhaps they were brought from Persia centuries earlier.
Wine has always been steeped in legend, myth, and storytelling, sometimes far more than in science, and somehow, the tale of a noble, wounded knight tending his vines and making wine feels far more charming than any DNA analysis ever could.
Heritage ~ possessed as a natural result of birth.
American-Style Ribs
Partial to Memphis or Kansas City-style smoky ribs? A group of crazy Australians created this tasty American-style rib spice mix and a recipe to go with it.
Aussiefuku Pork Belly
This melting tender and deeply flavored pork belly recipe is an adaptation from the Momofuku Cookbook by David Chang.
Balsamic Garlic Pork Tenderloin
Balsamic Garlic Pork Tenderloin that just melts in your mouth! This slow cooker balsamic pork tenderloin recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights or even special occasions when you just don't have time to cook for hours!
BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
This is a wonderful recipe for tasty, inexpensive, and really easy pork sliders. The recipe uses pork butt (shoulder) roast and works well in the crock pot.
Beef Stroganoff
Turn sliced or ground beef into an easy, creamy dinner, with pasta and either Harmony or Heritage Shiraz!
Easy Meatloaf
This easy, classic meatloaf pairs perfectly with creamy mashed potatoes and baby carrots for a comforting dinner everyone will love.
Goat Cheese Pumpkin Puree
Imagine the sweetness of a good pumpkin combined with the bitter taste of goat cheese and Balsamic Garlic Herb Jam - the result: a simple yet sophisticated dish, perfect for a November dinner or a magical Thanksgiving!
Grilled Beef Suya (African Spiced Beef Kabobs)
Suya is the single most popular Roast African spicy skewered beef – An irresistible dish originating from the Hausa people in Nigeria and Cameroon where they enjoy the heat and savory flavor. Our version makes a quick, easy and yummy dish.
Grilled Korean Short Ribs with Braised Bok Choy
Korean-style Short Ribs served with baby bok choy for balance and our Herbies Jaggery and Tiger spice sauce drizzled on top. You will find yourself slurping up the morsels of rib and licking your fingers as you wash it down with Heritage Shiraz . . . Perfect!
Grilled Steak with Bourbon Sauce and Spicy Grilled Onions
More for Saturday than Wednesday night this recipe has a lot of ingredients and takes more than an hour to prepare and cook bit it is definitely worth the effort.
Grilled Steak with Smokey Umami Sauce
Aussies would say "give me a Scotch Filet, a Shiraz and a quiet place to enjoy it." This steak with its moist, melt-in-your mouth umami flavor pairs beautifully with our Heritage Shiraz. "Vegetables? . . . What vegetables?"
Moroccan Burgers
The Moroccan flavors in these burgers include cumin, harissa and garlic. The sauce: a delectable mix of mayonnaise, caraway seeds and more harissa.
Mustard Maple Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
The tangy-sweet flavor combination of our Smoky Onion Mustard and Maple Syrup is wonderful on the Chicken with Herbie's Crusting Mix - WOW what a sandwich.
Oven Roasted Baby Back Ribs
These ribs couldn't be easier, they couldn't be tastier - just throw them in the oven and you are good to go.
Oven Roasted Riblets
Baked in the oven these tender bite-sized riblets are a simple and inexpensive cut from a rack of ribs. Glazed with our special sauce they are a perfect compliment to a glass of Shiraz.
Pork Chops Cast Iron Pan
Pork Chops cooked in a cast iron pan are quick and delicious. The chops are coated with a garlic and Italian herb mixture before cooking and the hot cast iron pan creates a fabulous seared crust.
Pork Chops Oven Baked
Oven Baked Pork Chops with potatoes and a sauce that makes them come out golden and sticky, savory and a little bit sweet.
Rib Eye Roast, Pan Vegetables & Balsamic Glaze
The rib eye roast is from the rib section (ribs 6 through 12), it is basically a prime rib roast with the bones removed so is often called a boneless rib roast. The rib is a naturally tender, rich flavored cut that is enjoyed by beef lovers worldwide. The glaze can be made a day ahead; it is intensely flavored, so use it sparingly
Sausage with Red Wine and Porcini Mushrooms
There are many forms of comfort food and it’s a fine challenge to make the most of limited ingredients to produce food that is not only comforting but delicious. This recipe is not a dish you might eat frequently, but it is an example of how simple ingredients cooked properly can produce elegant results.
Shiraz Braised Lamb Shoulder
This simple, slow-cooked dish receives a complex flavor from our Shiraz. It is always best to use the same wine for cooking and drinking. We know this is tough when the wine tastes so good alone. When the recipe calls for a whole bottle of wine some people might be tempted to use a cheaper bottle of Syrah and keep the Williamson Shiraz for drinking. This will compromise the integrity of the dish so perhaps the cook should drink a glass of the wine while cooking to ensure the quality of the wine being used.
Sichuan Marinated Grilled Chicken
Roasting a bird on the grill over indirect heat results in crackling crisp skin and moist tender meat. Adding unique components such as Jaggery makes it all the more delicious.
Side - Oven Roasted Butternut Squash
This is a side dish for a roast of beef, pork or lamb. The flavors balance nicely in this easy and delicious squash recipe.
Southern Style French Fries
In this dish old school French fries get the southern comfort food treatment. Easy to make and a really laid back result - yum!
Spiced Pork Loin with Braised Lentils
This comforting pairing of spice-roasted pork and gently braised lentils makes for a dish that feels both hearty and virtuous—rich in protein, yet surprisingly light, leaving one satisfied rather than weighed down.
Spicy Korean Chicken Wings
These Korean Chicken Wings hit all the flavor notes - sweet, spicy, tangy, and savory.
Spicy Miso Chicken with Harissa Sauce
Many think the Moroccans invented harissa to upgrade food from good to excellent and this intense, aromatic dish proves it.
Big John's Cajun
This spicy hand-rubbed cheese packs a heated punch!
Grand Suisse Gruyere
Grand Suisse Gruyere
Idiazábal
Idiazábal is a robust and sharp sheep’s cheese from the heart of the Basque Region in Spain.
Il Canet
Il Canet is a subtle washed-rind cheese that melts on your tongue and tastes like fresh, salted cream drizzled with meyer lemon.
Le Pico
Le Pico is a petite goat's milk soft cheese, from the French terroirs, likened to a Camembert.
Manchego
Manchego is Spain’s best known cheese.
Testun Ciuc
Hailing from the Piedmont region, home to many famous Italian Wines, Testun Ciuc belongs to a long tradition of aging large wheels of cheese in the sediment left over from wine making.
