The first recorded appearance of Shiraz was in the Isere district of the Rhone-Alps region of France, where it was the offspring of the red grape Dureza and the white grape Mondeuse Blanche. Until the first Shiraz cuttings were brought to Australia in 1832 by viticulturist James Busby, the northern Rhone was the only region where the grape was grown. There, it was the exclusive red grape in Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage. Australia is now home to the world's oldest continuously productive Shiraz vines with vineyards believed to date back to 1843 (Langmeil), 1847 (Turkey Flat) and 1860 (Thablik). These ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines produce tiny crops of intensely concentrated grapes. Australian Shiraz is known as an incredibly fruit forward, full-bodied red wine with deep ruby colors. There really wasn't much of a choice when an animal had to be linked to this grape variety. No other animal represent big, bold and complicated quite like an elephant. Africa and Asia were full of elephants but in the 19th and 20th centuries numbers fell dramatically due to ivory trade and habitat loss. These magnificent animals are highly intelligent with complex emotions, feelings, compassion and self-awareness. The largest population of elephants are believed to be in Botswana - the African Elephant.
