Shiraz is the name of the historic city of Shiraz in Southwestern Iran and is boasting a long history of growing amazing grapes and producing grape products Though after Islamic revolution in 1979 producing and drinking Shiraz wine and alcoholic drinks have been forbidden in Iran and the Shiraz wine factories were shut down, around 14 percent of the vineyards of Iran are located in Shiraz and in general in Fars province, that is around 63000 hectares. Grape products including juice, jam, jelly, raisins, verjuice, grape molasses and vinegar are great souvenirs from Shiraz.
If you travel to Shiraz city, it would be amazing to pay a visit to its vineyards and try its grape products.
" Of the grape of Shirauz there are several sort, all of them very good, but two or three more particularly so than the rest"
by William Francklin
William Francklin (1763-1839) traveled from Mumbai to Persia in 1786 and arrived in Shiraz in March 29, 1787 where he stayed in this city for 8 months hosted by a Persian family to experience and record the life in Shiraz, the capital city of Persia, when Zand dynasty was ruling over Iran.
As an English Orientalist and army officer in the service East India Company in India, William published his journal as "Observations Made on a Tour from Bengal to Persia Years 1786-7" and in a section of his book he gives us brief details of the Shiraz grapes and wine.
He mentioned that there are several types of Shiraz grapes and are all fine but 2 or 3 types are even better and he describes them. We have compared the grapes he has mentioned in his book with the ones gardeners are growing in Shiraz now.
One is the large white grape, called Reesh Bàbà, without seed, which is extremely luscious and agreeable to the taste;
by William Francklin
The origin of the Rish Baba Sefid (white) grape is Iran. The Rish Baba White grape is late-ripening and seeded, its berry shape is elongated oval, the size of the clusters is large and the color of the grape clusters is pale white.
Rish Baba grapes are green or yellow, have short and dense bunches, can be eaten fresh, and are good to store and have good transportability due to their thick skin. The recommended areas for growing Rish Baba Sefid grapes in Iran are most of the country's grape-growing regions, especially the temperate and semi-cold regions of Fars and Qazvin provinces.
The small white grape, called Askeri, also without seed, and as sweet as sugar;
by William Francklin
Sweet taste, attractive appearance and seedlessness of Asgari grapes are among the factors which have made it popular among people. Asgari grapes are widely used in preparing verjuice , grape juice, grape molasses and raisins. A great advantage of this grape is that no additives are needed to prepare raisins from it.
Iran is one of the biggest producers of this grape and it is cultivated in different regions of the country. Asgari grape is one of the early ripening grapes and is considered as one of the summer fruits. The harvest time for Asgari grape seedlings is June and July. This grape has a thin skin, therefore the storage life of this product is short.
Asgari grape has yellow, green and bright red elongated and ovoid berries that are sweet, juicy and seedless. The grapes are small in size and weigh approximately 7 grams. They grow in bunches with a height of approximately 19 cm and a width of 8 cm, and each bunch weighs about 392 grams.
The height of Asgari grape tree is between one to four meters and is a climbing plant. The branches are weak at the beginning but gets thicker as it grows.
The black grape, of which the celebrated wine of Shirauz is made: this wine is pressed by the Armenians and Jews, in the months of October and November, and a vast deal is exported annually to AbuShehr and other parts, in the Persian Gulf, for the supply of the India market. The wine of Shirauz is really delicious, and well deserving of praise; so much so, that people who have drank it for a space of time seldom care for any other; though at the first taste it is rather unpleasant to an European.
by William Francklin
Shiraz Sharabi (Wine) Grape grows fast and has black big oval berries. Its juicy and sweet berries are very popular around the world. In mountainous and generally cold regions it has recorded a higher growth rate.
Shiraz Wine grape tree is late-ripening and its growth resistance in low water conditions is quite good. Its berries are also used to prepare sweet foods. The fruitfulness of this type of grape has turned it into a commercial product for growing and selling.
Its harvest takes place in mid-autumn and in November. Since this tree has a fruitful life of about 100 years, it plays an important role in the cycle of planting and selling for gardeners. As its name suggests, it is very popular to grow in Shiraz but it is possible to plant it in most areas.
In countries such as America or Georgia, Shiraz wine grape is widely used in the wine industry, and its cultivation is carried out in large and well-equipped factories. Storing this product in warehouses can be managed easily.
They have another kind of large red grape, called Sahibi, the bunches of which weigh seven or eight pounds each: it is sharp and rough to the taste, and makes vinegar of a very superior quality.
by William Francklin
Sahebi grape is native to Asia Minor and especially Iran. This tree is planted in many regions of the country, especially in Fars province and the northwest of the country.
The clusters of Sahebi grape are large and conical in shape. The length of the cluster of this grape is approximately 20 cm and their width is 15 cm. The weight of each cluster reaches 900 grams. The berries are semi-dense in the grape clusters are large and oval in shape. This grape is crunchy yet juicy and sweet.
Each berry weighs 7.5 grams. Sahebi grapes are seeded and have a thin skin. The connection of the grapes to the bunches is tight, and you must be very careful when picking the grapes. Sahebi grapes are very useful for fresh consumption and preparation of raisins and sometimes it is also used to prepare verjuice and juice.
Sahebi grape starts to fruit from the second year and can be harvested from mid-September to early October and is a late-ripening grape. This grape offers 30 tons of quality products per hectare and its economic life is about 100 years. It also has a very good shelf life.
Bavanat is one of the leading regions in the production of grapes in Fars province and every year grapes are harvested from the area of about five thousand hectares in this city.
Khalili, Siah, Bidane, Rish Sefid Siah, Besh, Batak, Khansari, Estehbanati, Siah Kashmiri and Yaghuti are among the most important grape varieties in Bavanat.
The grape product of Jahrom city is considered an early harvest in Fars province and it usually comes to the market at the beginning of the harvest season in June. The vineyards under cultivation in Jahrom is about 3,300 hectares which produces 22,000 tons of grapes.
Grape varieties in Jahrom include Yaghuti, Asgari, Shirazi, Rish Baba, Ratobi and Khalili.
The area under grape cultivation in Kazerun is about 26 thousand hectares, of which 17 thousand hectares are irrigated and the rest are watered by rainfall and each hectare produces 2 tons of grapes.
In Kazerun, grapes are harvested in two seasons, in tropical regions from May to the end of June and in cold regions from the beginning of September to the end of October.
About 30 types of grapes are produced in this city, the most important of which are Asgari, Rish Baba, Kamashi, Samarqandi and Rutabi.
Doshmen Ziyari area of Mamsani county is one of the leading areas of Fars province in growing grapes. There are around five thousand hectares of vineyards in this region plus 18 thousand hectares in Mamasani region.
