Chambourcin red wine variety

Chambourcin is a French Hybrid red wine grape variety which has only been available since the 1960s.

French  Hybrids

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.

French hybrids are resistant to many fungal diseases especially downy mildew which is a major problem in areas of summer rainfall.

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.

The area planted to Chambourcin is declining in France, but it is still widely grown in Eastern United States and Canada

Chambourcin red wine from Cambewarra Estate on the Shoalhaven Coast of New South Wales

Chambourcin is one of the varieties described in the book What Varietal is That?

Chambourcin 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 Wine 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 Vitis varieties and hybrids can be detected in some, but not all, Australian Chambourcin wines.

Although its major use is for dry red wines, some producers use the variety for sparkling reds and rose wines. It is also used successfully for port style wines.

• Allandale Hunter Valley
• Aramis Hunter Valley
• Bago Vineyards Hastings River
• Ballabourneen Wines Hunter Valley
• Bawley Vale Estate Shoalhaven Coast
• Benwarin Wines Hunter Valley
• Blowfly Wines Northern Slopes Zone
• Calais Estate Hunter Valley
• Cambewarra Estate Shoalhaven Coast
• Capercaillie Hunter Valley
• Cassegrain Hastings River
• Cedar Creek Estate Queensland Coastal
• Coolangatta Estate Shoalhaven Coast
• Crooked River Wines Shoalhaven Coast
• D'Arenberg McLaren Vale
• Douglas Vale Hastings River
• Ernest Hill Wines Hunter Valley
• Ernest Schuetz Wines Mudgee
• Great Lakes Wines Northern Rivers Zone
• Ivanhoe Wines Hunter Valley
• Jubilee Wines Hunter Valley
• Kingsley Grove South Burnett
• Long Point Vineyard Hastings River
• Lyrebird Ridge Organic Winery South Coast Zone
• Mimosa South Coast Zone
• Mount Eyre Hunter Valley
• Mountain Ridge Central Ranges Zone
• O'Reillys Queensland Coastal
• Oak Works Riverland
• Oakvale Hunter Valley
• Petersons Glenesk Estate Mudgee
• Roselea Estate Shoalhaven Coast
• Sherwood Estate Hastings River
• Stonehurst Cedar Creek Hunter Valley
• Stroud Valley Wines Northern Rivers Zone
• Tamburlaine Hunter Valley
• Tawonga Vineyard Alpine Valleys
• Travertine Estate Hunter Valley
• Two Figs Shoalhaven Coast
• Two Tails Northern Rivers Zone
• Two Tails Wine Northern Rivers Zone
• Undercliff Hunter Valley
• Villa d'Esta Vineyard Northern Rivers Zone
• Wright Family Wines Hunter Valley
• Yarrawa Estate Shoalhaven Coast

See the full list of varieties described on this site

Learn More about Grape varieties

De Long's Wine Grape Varietal Table

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