Shoalhaven Coast

Last updated

Shoalhaven Coast
Wine region
Type Australian Geographical Indication
Year established2002
CountryAustralia
Part of South Coast
Location 34°48′36″S150°38′13″E / 34.81000°S 150.63694°E / -34.81000; 150.63694
Varietals produced Chambourcin, Verdelho

Shoalhaven Coast is an Australian wine region located in the state of New South Wales. [1]

Contents

The Shoalhaven Coast wine region is located in the state of New South Wales. It is close to the cities of Sydney, Wollongong and Canberra. The region has 16 cellar doors that have produced 500 tonnes or 400,000 bottles of wine. [2]

The region is popularly known for Chambourcin, a French red wine. It is produced by crossbreeding and it has a bright and striking colour and an aroma of plummy fruit. The superb coastal beaches brings in enormous tourism, which boosts the wine market. Because of that, the cellar doors in the area are bustling with activities.

The region also boasts of the Coolangatta Estate, which is a major tourist attraction in the region.

The Shoalhaven coast has been a great success over the years with the establishment of new wineries and increased number of visitors to the area. This has positioned the region in the forefront of North South Wales wine industry.

Shoalhaven Coast holds a Winter wine festival every year in June. The festival is supported by wine tours from Sydney and Wollongong. It offers winery tours, outdoor entertainment and regional food tastings.

History

Shoalhaven is a city located in the South-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. It is about 200 kilometres south of Sydney. It is adjacent to the Tasman Sea. The South coast railway line cuts through the northern part of the city and stops at Bomaderry. As at 2013, the city has a population of 97,694. The city was named "Shoalhaven" by George Bass in 1797, when he explored the area and crossed the entryway to the river. He called it "Shoal Haven" because of the low depth of the river mouth.

Vineyards and wineries in the Shoalhaven Coast region were established in the 1980s. [3] Therefore, most of them are small, but a lot of people are investing massively over the last decade. [4]

Coolangatta Estate

The first vineyard in the region was planted by Alexander Berry at Coolangatta Estate on the slopes of Mt. Coolangatta. It is situated on the northern bank of the Shoalhaven River. The word "Coolangatta" means "good lookout". The estate is surrounded by vineyards.

Climate

Shoalhaven region has warm temperatures during the growing season. Vineyards on the north directly facing the slopes are open, well-drained and exposed to air. The only problem with the region is the unpredictable summer rainfall. The climate of the region is highly influenced by the Pacific Ocean.

Wine varieties in the Shoalhaven coast region

The two major varieties of wine in Shoalhaven coast are the Chambourcin and Verdelho. Chambourcin is a French hybrid grape variety for making wine. It has a great resistance to fungal diseases. It is good for the humid summer climate experienced in the region. The wine produced from this variety is deep-coloured with an aroma of plummy fruit.

Verdelho originates from Portugal and the Island of Madeira. In Australia, it is used to produce white table wines. It is an alternative to Chardonnay wine. They are common because they smell and taste like they produced from grapes. [5]

Other types of wine produced in the region are Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. New varieties of wine are also springing up, such as, Arneis, Viognier, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Tannat.

Shoalhaven coast wine winter festival

The Shoalhaven coast wine festival takes place on every June long weekend. It is a festival established to celebrate everything wine. [6]

Thousands of visitors come to the region to stay for three days for exciting live music, fine food, winemaker's dinners, wine education talks, vineyard tours, market stalls etc.

The weekend is filled with interesting activities for everyone.

It has become a major event on wine and food lover's calendar. Festival lovers can buy a commemorative wine glass at the first winery they get to. This will enable them to taste wine and cheese at each of the participating wineries throughout the festival period. [7]

Award winning wines

The region is known for producing quality and premium wine. This feat was recognized with more than 1,000 Australian and International wine awards. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabernet Sauvignon</span> Red-wine variety of grape

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon became internationally recognized through its prominence in Bordeaux wines, where it is often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. From France and Spain, the grape spread across Europe and to the New World where it found new homes in places like California's Napa Valley, New Zealand's Hawke's Bay, South Africa's Stellenbosch region, Australia's Margaret River, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra regions, and Chile's Maipo Valley and Colchagua. For most of the 20th century, it was the world's most widely planted premium red wine grape until it was surpassed by Merlot in the 1990s. However, by 2015, Cabernet Sauvignon had once again become the most widely planted wine grape, with a total of 341,000 hectares (3,410 km2) under vine worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Shoalhaven</span> Local government in New South Wales, Australia

The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses the northern section, terminating at Bomaderry. At the 2021 census, the population was 108,531.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verdelho</span> Variety of grape

Verdelho is a white wine grape grown throughout Portugal, though most associated with the island of Madeira, and also gives its name to one of the four main types of Madeira wine. At the turn of the 20th century it was the most widely planted white grape in Madeira.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McLaren Vale</span> Wine region in South Australia

McLaren Vale is a wine region in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide metropolitan area and centred on the town of McLaren Vale about 38 kilometres (24 mi) south of the Adelaide city centre. It is internationally renowned for the wines it produces and is included within the Great Wine Capitals of the World. The region was named after either David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company or John McLaren (unrelated) who surveyed the area in 1839. Among the first settlers to the region in late 1839, were two English farmers from Devon, William Colton and Charles Thomas Hewett. William Colton established the Daringa Farm and Charles Thomas Hewett established Oxenberry Farm. Both men would be prominent in the early days of McLaren Vale. Although initially the region's main economic activity was the growing of cereal crops, John Reynell and Thomas Hardy planted grape vines in 1838 and the present-day Seaview and Hardy wineries were in operation as early as 1850. Grapes were first planted in the region in 1838 and some vines more than 100 years old are still producing. Today there are more than 95 cellar doors in McLaren Vale. The majority are family-run operations and boutique wineries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goulburn Valley</span>

The Goulburn Valley is a sub-region, part of the Hume region of the Australian state of Victoria. The sub-region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. The Goulburn Valley is bordered on the south by the Great Dividing Range and to the north by the Murray River, the state border with New South Wales. The sub-region is one of Australia's most productive and intensively farmed areas and is predominantly irrigated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stag's Leap Wine Cellars</span> Winery in Napa Valley, California

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars is a winery founded by Warren Winiarski in 1970 and based in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heitz Wine Cellars</span> Winery in California

Heitz Cellar is a California wine producer located within Napa Valley east of the town of St. Helena. An early modern era Napa Valley presence and pioneering exponent of French oak, the estate enjoys a historical renown with the success of its Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and has also been described as a "master of Grignolino".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian wine</span> Wine making in Australia

The Australian wine industry is one of the world's largest exporters of wine, with approximately 800 million out of the 1.2 to 1.3 billion litres produced annually exported to overseas markets. The wine industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy through production, employment, export, and tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand wine</span> Wine making in New Zealand

New Zealand wine is produced in several of its distinct winegrowing regions. As an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, New Zealand has a largely maritime climate, although its elongated geography produces considerable regional variation from north to south. Like many other New World wines, New Zealand wine is usually produced and labelled as single varietal wines, or if blended, winemakers list the varietal components on the label. New Zealand is best known for its Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and more recently its dense, concentrated Pinot Noir from Marlborough, Martinborough and Central Otago.

The glossary of wine terms lists the definitions of many general terms used within the wine industry. For terms specific to viticulture, winemaking, grape varieties, and wine tasting, see the topic specific list in the "See also" section below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard</span> Australian wine company

Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard is a family-owned wine company based in Milawa, Victoria, Australia. Brown Brothers was founded in 1889 by John Francis Brown and continues to be owned and operated by his descendants on the original property. Brown Brothers makes wine from a wide range of grape varieties and into a range of styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penfolds</span> Winery in South Australia

Penfolds is an Australian wine producer that was founded in Adelaide in 1844 by Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia, and his wife Mary Penfold. It is one of Australia's oldest wineries, and is currently part of Treasury Wine Estates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyrenees (Victoria)</span> Wine region in Victoria, Australia

The Pyrenees is a wine-producing region centred on the Pyrenees ranges located in Victoria, Australia near the town of Avoca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California wine</span> Wine made from grapes grown in California, United States

California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted Vitis vinifera vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. In the 1770s, Spanish missionaries continued the practice under the direction of the Father Junípero Serra who planted California's first vineyard at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales wine</span> Wine produced in New South Wales, Australia

New South Wales wine is Australian wine produced in New South Wales, Australia. New South Wales is Australia's most populous state and its wine consumption far outpaces the region's wine production. The Hunter Valley, located 130 km (81 mi) north of Sydney, is the most well-known wine region but the majority of the state's production takes place in the Big Rivers zone-Perricoota, Riverina and along the Darling and Murray Rivers. The wines produced from the Big Rivers zone are largely used in box wine and mass-produced wine brands such as Yellow Tail. A large variety of grapes are grown in New South Wales, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Sémillon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Australian wine</span>

Western Australian wine refers to wine produced in Australia's largest state, Western Australia. Although the state extends across the western third of the continent, its wine regions are almost entirely situated in the cooler climate of its south-western tip. Western Australia produces less than 5% of the country's wine output, but in quality terms it is very much near the top, winning 30 percent of the country's medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Valley wine</span> Wine region in Australia

The Hunter Valley is one of Australia's wine regions. Located in the state of New South Wales and first cultivated in the early 19th century, it was one of the first Australian wine regions. As well as Hunter Valley Sémillon, the region produces wine from a variety of grapes including Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Verdelho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twomey Cellars</span> Winery in Calistoga, California, U.S.

Twomey Cellars is a California winery. It was established in 1999 by the Duncan Family, who have operated the successful Silver Oak Cellars in California since 1972. The Duncan Family started Twomey Cellars to pursue varietals other than Cabernet Sauvignon. Twomey has three wineries: one in Calistoga in the Napa Valley; one in Healdsburg in the Russian River Valley; one in Philo in Anderson Valley, and produces mainly Pinot noir and Sauvignon blanc. Twomey’s Sauvignon blanc is a blend of Sauvignon blanc grapes from their estate vineyards at their wineries in Napa Valley, Anderson Valley, and Russian River Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villa Melnik Winery</span> Winery in Bulgaria

Villa Melnik is a family-owned winery located near the village of Harsovo, about 7 km south of Melnik, Bulgaria.

Nagambie Lakes is a subregion of the Goulburn Valley wine region in the Australian state of Victoria. Lake Nagambie on the Goulburn River is the largest waterbody in the region, and Nagambie is the main town.

References

  1. "Shoalhaven Coast". Register of Protected GIs and Other Terms. Wine Australia . Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  2. "Shoalhaven Coast". Nswwine.com.au. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  3. "Shoalhaven Coast". Wineaustralia.net.au. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  4. "Shoalhaven Coast Wine Region". Vinodiversity.com. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  5. "Verdelho white wine variety". Vinodiversity.com. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Shoalhaven Coast Vineyards and Wineries | Shoalhaven Coast Wine Industry Association Inc". Shoalhavencoastwine.com.au. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  7. "Shoalhaven Coast Winter Wine Festival | Surrounds Events". Visitnsw.com. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2015.