Regional Hero ~ Chambourcin

Shoalhaven Coast wine region runs along the South Coast, close to city centres of Sydney (2 hours); Wollongong (1 hour) and Canberra (3 hours), and boasts 16 cellar doors with a total production of 500 tonnes or approximately 400,000 bottles. As a new region, they are best known for Chamboucin, a French red wine hybrid variety with vibrant colour and fresh plummy fruit aromas. With a buoyant tourism market, thanks to the magnificent coastal beaches, the area has bustling cellar doors including the must try Coolangatta Estate.

The Shoalhaven Coast has seen immense success over the last year, bringing this new and exciting region to the forefront of the undiscovered NSW Wine journey, with the opening of new wineries and increased visitation to the region. The region was also was awarded with several international (Kladis Estate); National (Coolangatta Estate) and Regional (Yarrawa Estate) awards for locally grown fruit – now taking the regional medal tally to over 1000 medals since it’s recognition as an official wine region in 1994. This includes having 3 wines in the 2008 NSW Wine Awards Top 40 Wines.

A fantastic opportunity to try Shoalhaven Coast’s wines is the Shoalhaven Coast Winter Wine Festival, now in its 6th year. Supported by dedicated wine tours from Sydney and Wollongong and held over the June Long Weekend, wineries offered tours of the wine making process; outdoor entertainment; regional food and entertainment make it a destination event for the wine region.