12 Delicious Australian Shiraz Food Pairings

You’ve probably ended up on this blog post because you have a yummy bottle of Australian Shiraz and you’re looking for a food pairing right?

In 2017 I set out on a mission to match 12 bottles of Shiraz with 12 food pairings and I still refer back to this post in 2022! I love my wine and food pairings and discovering excellent matches which heighten both the wine and food.

So without further ado, let’s get stuck in, feel free to jump to the Shiraz food pairings that entice you the most:

Shiraz & Bacon

Initially, when I went to the supermarket to find the first match, I was looking for hard smoked cheese as I heard smokey cheese was a good match. What I found was some slightly smoked soft cheese and also some of the Zoosh ‘Bomb Diggity’ Bacon Dip. It was the latter that had my palate in a frenzy with the wine. The smokiness and the bacon/onion flavours in the dip really complimented the wine. Who was I kidding, bacon goes with everything right?

Taylors Shiraz, Clare Valley (SA)

This Taylors Shiraz is a brilliant deep garnet shade on the eye. The nose is full of leather, spice, black olives and plums. While on the palate that plumminess is joined by cherry infused acidity with a sprinkling of nutmeg and a silky mouthfeel. Give me a bottle of this, a tub of Bacon dip and that’s my Friday night sorted. Vintage tasted: 2015

Shiraz & Meatballs

To be honest, the Dish Mag’s recipe below is a fancy version of spaghetti Bolognese. We decided to use chorizo sausage meatballs for a bit of a kick and it was delicious.

De Bortoli Villages Shiraz + Grenache Blend, Heathcote (VIC)

This De Bortoli Villages Shiraz Grenache red blend is a plummy red on the eye. Notes of black olives, cherries, raspberries and violets come through on the nose. In the mouth, it’s juicy with a good oomph of flavour and decent length finish. Wine & food matching bliss! Vintage tasted: 2015

Shiraz & Pork Tacos

Pork is a great meat to match with Shiraz. These tacos were infused with smoked paprika, cumin and BBQ sauce. The BBQ sauce and Shiraz have a real affinity for one another.

Tahbilk Shiraz, Nagambie Lakes (VIC)

It’s a deep ruby-red colour in the glass with notes of cassis, violets and black pepper on the nose. That cracked black pepper flows through to the palate with plentiful notes of berries, plums and cherries. The finish is long and tannin infused. Very enjoyable. Vintage tasted: 2014

Shiraz & Pork Shoulder

Mr Spittoon has a real knack for cooking awesome pork shoulders. He picked up one and put it in the slow cooker with some fennel and other ingredients. We also added some veggies and rosemary roasted pumpkin to the plate. I found the fennel and rosemary really worked well with the Shiraz, alongside the pork of course.

Yalumba Triangle Block Shiraz, Eden Valley (SA)

This Yalumba Triangle Block Shiraz a blackish ruby-red colour in the glass with quite a savoury nose to it. Think leather, spice, bark and stewed plums. It’s full of juicy cherry flavour in the mouth, with plenty of fresh acidity and silky tannins. The finish on this Shiraz seems to go on forever! Vintage tasted: 2014

Shiraz & Burgers

Naturally, Shiraz goes well with burger night whether it’s beef, lamb, pork or even a mushroom or capsicum patty. We headed out to a local BYO burger spot and my beef, cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato, caramelised red onion and ketchup burger went superbly with this bottle of Shiraz. As this Shiraz is blended with a bit of Cabernet (notorious for matching well with beef) – we really thought we couldn’t go wrong. We were right.

The Barry Bros by Jim Barry Shiraz Cabernet, Clare Valley (SA)

On the eye, The Barry Bros Shiraz by Jim Barry is a deep ruby-red with a tinge of purple. It has a warmth on the nose with a distinct savoury/earthy character to it alongside dark fruits. In the mouth, it has super smooth flavours with a lovely juicy finish. The burgers were truly complimented by this vino! Vintage tasted: 2015

Shiraz & Ribs

Of course, we had to do the ribs & Shiraz match! We had some pork ribs smothered with a BBQ sauce which, despite the mess, went down superbly with the Shiraz. Our Riedel glasses were a bit messy with finger prints on by the end, but it was all worth it!

McWilliam’s Reserve McW 660 Shiraz, Hilltops (NSW)

In the glass, this McWilliams reserve 660 Hilltops Shiraz is virtually opaque in colour with a black-garnet tinge. The nose is enticingly jammy and oaky with a certain warmth to it and a hint of marmite. And on the palate, these 4 words were the first to come to mind: juicy, plump, long finish. It’s a heavier style Shiraz that deserves to be teamed up with meaty, BBQ flavours. Vintage tasted: 2015

Shiraz & Chocolate

You may have seen a few posts back I took Cuvee Chocolate by Deniz Karaca (chocolate made specifically to match wine) for a test run and I was amazed! Therefore, I couldn’t do a wine & food matching post without including this. We teamed the ‘Noir’ 85% Dark Chocolate up with the below wine and I kid you not, it was like a black forest dessert when combined. Oh my god. Heaven!

Henschke Henry’s Seven Shiraz Blend, Barossa Valley (SA)

This Henschke ‘Henry’s Seven’ is a Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro & Viognier blend. On the eye the wine is a lovely deep yet bright red with notes of cherry cigars, hints of mocha and some leafy/earthiness to it on the nose. In the mouth it’s juicy…. decadent… and covers every taste bud in your mouth with flavour. The fruit forward cherry flavour is absolutely perfect with the dark chocolate making it like a Black Forest dessert in your mouth, but better! Vintage tasted: 2015

Shiraz & Curry

Oh my god, I definitely wasn’t a believer until I tried this utterly delectable match. I really felt like curry, but typically my go-to vino to match is an off-dry white or if going red, a Pinot Noir. However, I decided to buy one of The Spice Tailor’s meal kits for a Southern Pepper Curry (thinking the pepper will compliment the wine) made with lamb and my oh my, it was divine! I will definitely be enjoying this match again soon. Quick tip: If matching curry with Shiraz, try to find a lightly oaked Shiraz.

Tyrrell’s Wines Shiraz, Hunter Valley (NSW)

This Tyrrell‘s Hunter Valley Shiraz is matured in large old oak barrels so the fruit is highlighted and I think it’s this not overly oaked style of Shiraz that worked so well with the curry. It’s a pretty ruby-red shade on the eye. Notes of black pepper, raspberry liquorice, blueberries and a hint of vegetal (Brussel sprouts according to Mr Spittoon) came through on the nose. In the mouth, it’s super smooth and easy drinking with wonderful fruit acidity and light tannins. Vintage tasted: 2015

Shiraz & Hotdogs

I do love hotdog night! In our house it’s ‘make your own’ night, however, the typical ingredients include; sauces, cheese, beetroot, pineapple, onion, jalapeno, pickles and more! We opted for pork sausages, knowing how well pork goes with Shiraz, but I think the real highlight was how well the Shiraz went with the BBQ sauce – yumo!

d’Arenberg ‘The Love Grass’ Shiraz, McLaren Vale (SA)

The d’Arenberg ‘The Love Grass’ Shiraz is a deep shiny garnet colour on the eye. On the nose, I picked up notes of spice, smoked meat, berries, red liquorice and some oak. In the mouth, it’s full of dark black fruits and lingering tannins. Vintage tasted: 2014

Shiraz & Jerky

Does a dinner get any better than one made up of Shiraz and jerky? I think not! I had heard kangaroo meat goes well with Shiraz, and I hadn’t tried kangaroo jerky, so I thought this WA made Chewy Mooey jerky would go perfectly with this WA-made Shiraz. I was right.

Howard Park ‘Flint Rock’ Shiraz, Great Southern (WA)

This Howard Park Flint Rock Shiraz is a deep, dark garnet-plum colour in the glass. On the nose, it’s elegant with a fresh coolness to it and juicy fresh cherries laced with vanilla. Those cherries come through on the palate backed by a lovely clean structure, silky tannins, hints of blackcurrants and a peppered finish. Vintage tasted: 2014

Shiraz & Pizza

Pizza is one of my favourite meals. I decided to make some homemade pizza one night –  a lamb, red onion, olive, feta, rocket and Greek yoghurt one and a roast pumpkin, rosemary, feta and rocket one – diiivine! Both matched the vino superbly.

Brown Brothers 18 Eighty Nine Shiraz, Heathcote (VIC)

This Brown Brothers Shiraz is a medium red colour on the eye with bramble fruits and savoury spice on the nose. It really evoked thoughts of venison with a berry type sauce for me. In the mouth its full of raspberry and blackberries with a hint of smokiness and oak. A full-bodied Shiraz with a very tenacious finish. Vintage tasted: 2015

Shiraz & Chocolate Orange

I picked up a jar of jar VinoFood’s Mandarin, Chilli & Shiraz Chocolate Sauce from Just In Time Gourmet as I’d heard so many good things about it. Knowing already how great chocolate is with Shiraz, I figured this sauce would be a match made in heaven since it was already infused with Shiraz. The sauce made me think of chocolate orange – it was divine and between you and me, a jar of this, a spoon and a glass of Shiraz made me one happy lady!

Campbell’s ‘Bobbie Burns’ Shiraz, Rutherglen (VIC)

This Campbells Bobbie Burns Aussie Shiraz is a deep ruby-red with scents of black fruits, liquorice and a lick of oak on the nose. The palate is full of elegance, wonderfully juicy blackberry fruit and earthy/savoury tannins on the finish. A superb match to the chocolate-orange inspired sauce! Vintage tasted: 2015

For more Shiraz tasting notes, be sure to check out my notes on Vivino or Delectable.