Chambourcin red wine grape variety
Chambourcin
is a French Hybrid red wine grape variety which has only been available since
the 1960s.
French hybrids are produced by crossing a variety of the European
grape vine Vitis vinifera with an American vine species. The resulting vines
have higher disease and pest resistance, but the wines produced often have an
unusual or 'foxy' flavour.
The major motivation for producing French Hybrids was to rebuild the European wine industry after the devastation caused by the phylloxera pest.
Now most vineyards are planted on resistant rootstocks as the phylloxera louse attacks the roots rather than the top of the plant.
Chambourcin is perhaps the most successful of the French Hybrids and is certainly the most widely used in Australia.
This
variety is especially resistant to fungal diseases so it is not surprising that
it is most at home in the more humid regions of Coastal NSW, including the
Hunter Valley and Queensland.
John Cassegrain in the Hastings River Region is credited with pioneering this variety in Australia.
Chambourcin wines are deeply coloured and fruity, but tend to finish short. The 'foxy' flavour common to American varieties and hybrids can be detected in some, but not all, Australian Chambourcins.
Some producers use the variety for sparkling reds, and it is also used successfully
for port style wines.
Wineries
using the Chambourcin grape variety include:
- Alderley Creek Wines Estate Northern Rivers
- Allandale Hunter Valley
- Allyn River Wines Hunter Valley
- Apthorpe Estate Hunter Valley
- Australian Old Vine Wines Riverland
- Bago Vineyards Hastings River
- Bawley Vale Estate Shoalhaven Coast
- Beelgara Estate Riverina
- Benwarin Wines Hunter Valley
- Boatshed Vineyard Hunter Valley
- Brierley Wines Queensland Zone
- Calais Estate Hunter Valley
- Cambewarra Estate Shoalhaven Coast
- Canolobas-Smith Orange
- Canungra Valley Queensland Coastal
- Capercaillie Hunter Valley
- Cassegrain Hastings River
- Catspaw Farm Granite Belt
- Cedar Creek Estate Queensland Coastal
- Coolangatta Estate Shoalhaven Coast
- Cooper wines Hunter Valley
- Crane Wines South Burnett
- Creeks Edge Wines Mudgee
- Crooked River Wines Shoalhaven Coast
- Cupitt's winery Shoalhaven Coast
- D'Arenberg McLaren Vale
- Dayleswood Winery Riverina
- Divers Luck Wines Northern Rivers Zone
- Douglas Vale Hastings River
- Eumundi Winery Queensland Coastal
- Fairview Wines Hunter Valley
- Fern Gully Winery Shoalhaven Coast
- Friday Creek Resort Northern Rivers Zone
- Frog Rock Mudgee
- Gowrie Mountain Estate Darling Downs
- Great Lakes Northern Rivers Zone
- Humphries Estate Shoalhaven Coast
- Inlam Estate Northern Rivers Zone
- Ivanhoe Wines Hunter Valley
- Kingsley Grove South Burnett
- Long Point Vineyard Hastings River
- Lyrebird Ridge Organic Winery South Coast Zone
- Maleny Mountain Wines Queensland Coastal
- Maroochy Springs Queensland Coastal
- Mopoke Ridge Winery Shoalhaven Coast
- Mount Eyre Vineyards Hunter Valley
- Mudgee Wines Mudgee
- Nightingale Wines Hunter Valley
- Noosa Valley Winery Queensland Coastal
- Normanby Wines Queensland Zone
- Nowra Hill Vineyard Shoalhaven Coast
- O'Regan Creek Vineyard and Winery Queensland Coastal
- Oakvale Hunter Valley
- Oakworks Wines Riverland
- Pendarves Estate Hunter Valley
- Petersons Glenesk Estate Mudgee
- Ridgeview Wines Hunter Valley
- Roselea Estate Shoalhaven Coast
- Rothbury Ridge Hunter Valley
- Rusty Fig Wines South Coast Zone
- Seven Mile Vineyard Shoalhaven Coast
- Sherwood Estate Hastings River
- Sirromet Queensland Coastal
- Southern Highland Wines Southern Highlands
- St Petrox Hunter Valley
- Stonehurst Cedar Creek Hunter Valley
- Tamburlaine Hunter Valley
- Tilba Valley South Coast Zone
- Tinonnee Vineyard Hunter Valley
- Twin Oaks Queensland Coastal
- Two Tails Wines Northern Rivers Zone
- Undercliff Hunter Valley
- Villa d'Esta Vineyard Northern Rivers Zone
- Wallambah Vale Wines Northern Rivers Zone
- Wright Family Wines Hunter Valley
- Yarraman Estate Hunter Valley
- Yarrawa Estate Shoalhaven Coast
Here are some ideas for food pairing with Chambourcin
Advice about serving temperature for Chambourcin
