I would appreciate some help in understanding the history of the name of the Syrah grape. The OED teaches:
[< French syrah (20th cent.), earlier sirrah, {dag}sirac, {dag}syras (1845 or earlier), {dag}scyras (1827 or earlier), of unknown origin. Cf. earlier PETITE SIRAH n. Cf. also slightly earlier SHIRAZ n. 2 and discussion at that entry, which reads: The French name for the grape is syrah (scyras, sirrah are also found). The Eng. form is app. an alteration of this, influenced by the belief that the vine was brought (by Crusaders) from Iran and is therefore to be identified with that from which Shiraz (sense 1a) is made.]
I have been able to find an 1826 reference to "Scyras" in French, predating the OED by a year. James Busby referred to this source in his on visits to principle vineyards of Spain and France, published in 1834; Busby used the "Scyras" name. Macaurthur used the "Scyras" name in his notes on the Botanic Garden in the 1840s, and I've found a third 1850's reference to "Scyras" in another Australian source.
The first reference I've found to "Shiraz" in English is in Cyrus Redding in 1833, and repeated in his 1851`edition on grapes and grape vines. "Hermitage is now produced from the Scyras, or Shiraz grape, supposed to have been originally Persian, the grape of Shiraz being the finest in the world."
The first reference I've found to "Hermitage" to describe the grape [rather than the wine] is in Shaw's magnificent study of 1863, and I suppose it appeafrs in the earlier edition of 1861 as well.
The first reference in English to "Syrah" I've found is in the 1901 US Government Printing Office report on the 1893 Columbian Exposition.
I'm interested in a number of points:
1. When did Australians first use the word "Shiraz"? Did they pick it up from Redding, or was it their own pronunciation of "Scyras".
2. When did the French change the name of the grape from "Scyras" to "Syrah". [I was surprised to learn that it was a 20th Century coinage.]
Citations on request.
Regards, and many thanks, Bob
Cross post from Purple Pages and elsewhere.