Why Man’s Best Friend is Probably (OK, Definitely) Not a Canine

They drink alcohol and love spicy food. What attributes could be better in a best friend? And of course, it’s not your dog. The animal in question is a tree shrew, the only mammal (besides us) who likes habaneros, jalapenos, spicy Bloody Marys, you name it. If its furry forehead breaks out in a sweat, it’s just fine as far as a shrew is concerned. According to a report in Atlas Obscura, tree shrews are very closely related to humans but are smaller than primates so they are easier to study. In recent research, scientists discovered that tree shrews are similar to birds: neither are affected by capsaicinoids, the molecules that make chilis hot. So break out the Carolina Reapers and the Ghost Peppers—we think these guys can handle them.

Shiraz is native to the ancient city of Shiraz in Persia (present day Iran).

Answer: False.

This erroneous legend just won’t die, but Shiraz did not come from Iran—or from Sicily or Greece, two other falsehoods. (Yesterday was Shiraz Day so we thought we’d set the record straight). The grape Syrah is usually known in Australia (and sometimes in South Africa) as Shiraz. Why so? In the seventeenth century, French Huguenots (fleeing religious persecution) brought Syrah from France (where it is indigenous) to South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. From South Africa, it was eventually brought to Australia. However, by the 1830s, Syrah was also being brought directly to Australia from France. Most scholars think the name Shiraz is a corruption of one of the grape’s many colloquial French names (which include Serine, Serinne, Sira, etc.). Today, of course, Shiraz is Australia’s most planted and most famous red wine. Indeed, in appellations such as the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Margaret River, and a half dozen others, Shiraz can be spellbinding delicious and spicy, although rarely as outrageously gamey as the French Syrahs from Côte Rôtie or Hermitage.

“It seems almost a moral obligation [in the Napa Valley] to make wines with a life, because you can’t do that everywhere. It’s a gift.”

―Cathy Corison, Corison Winery, as quoted in Wine Revolution by Jane Anson

―Cathy Corison, Corison Winery, as quoted in Wine Revolution by Jane Anson

Why Man’s Best Friend is Probably (OK, Definitely) Not a Canine

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