Chambourcin

Product description

Chambourcin is one of the most popular hybrid grapes around the world. Like many hybrids, it was originally produced in France by a man named Joannes Seyve in the early 1960s, but has since found favor in parts of the US, Canada and Australia. Despite being a popular grape used in winemaking in the 1970s in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley regions, Chambourcin is no longer allowed to be used in AOC or even IGP wines throughout France due to its hybrid status. French/American grape, although it is sometimes used in Vin de Table wines in the western Loire Valley region around Nantes. Now, it is quite popular in winemaking in states such as Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, and in British Columbia, Canada, and New South Wales, Australia. This grape is resistant to fungus and is the parent of the new disease resistant grape variety, Regent, which is grown mainly in Germany, Switzerland and the Okanagan Valley.

Terroir

In the vineyard, Chambourcin is a dynamically productive grape. It thrives in well-drained clay soils and shale. It can grow successfully in cooler areas such as upstate New York and parts of Canada, as well as in more temperate areas in Virginia and in warm, humid areas found in New South Wales, Australia. Its tolerance to diseases, especially those caused by moisture, makes it quite easy to manage in the vineyard and in warmer or wetter climates.

Chambourcin tasting

Chambourcin is a deeply colored and aromatic red wine grape that is also a "teinturier" grape, meaning its juice is pink or red instead of clear like most other red grapes. Many producers use oak in the winemaking process to soften the acidity, which can be quite high in cooler regions. Chambourcin produces a wine that is typically high in acidity with moderate tannins and strong flavors that can be complemented by the addition of oak aging.

In the glass, you can expect flavors of black cherry, red fruit, herbal notes, black pepper and even chocolate. Chambourcin can be a single varietal wine or used in blends, as it is often produced in Australia where it is blended with Shiraz. It can even be made into semi-sweet wine or sparkling red wine. It is best eaten young because of its freshness and can be served chilled because of its typically strong flavor.

1. Chambourcin is a French/American hybrid grape produced by Joannes Seyve and made available in 1963.

2. The grape was originally produced in France and was popular in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley in the 1970s, but has now found favor mainly in the MidAtlantic and Midwestern U.S.

3. Chambourcin is a "teinturier" grape, meaning it has pink or red juice instead of the clear juice usually found in black grapes.

It is a deeply colored and aromatic red wine grape that is also a "teinturier" grape, meaning its juice is pink or red instead of clear like most other red grapes. Many producers use oak in the winemaking process to soften the acidity, which can be quite high in cooler regions. Chambourcin produces a wine that is typically high in acidity with moderate tannins and strong flavors that can be complemented by the addition of oak aging.