Shoalhaven Coast is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

wine region Wines are produced in significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. Wine grapes berries mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degrees of latitude, in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, typically in regions of Mediterranea ...

located in the state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. The

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses the norther ...

Coast wine region is located in the state of

. 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. The region is popularly known for

Chambourcin Chambourcin () is a variety of grapevine belonging to the ''Vitis'' genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. It is a French- American interspecific hybrid grape variety used for making wine. Its parentage is uncertain, but genetic studies ...

, 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 The Coolangatta Estate at Coolangatta, near Shoalhaven Heads was established in 1822 by Alexander Berry on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Coolangatta Estate is located on the northern bank of the Shoalhaven River, in the foothi ...

, 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 George Bass (; 30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia. Early life Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George B ...

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. Therefore, most of them are small, but a lot of people are investing massively over the last decade.

Coolangatta Estate

The first vineyard in the region was planted by Alexander Berry at

on the slopes of Mt. Coolangatta. It is situated on the northern bank of the

Shoalhaven River The Shoalhaven River is a perennial stream, perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wind wave, wave dominated estuary#Lagoon-type or bar-built, barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast, New Sou ...

. 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

and

Verdelho 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 ...

. 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 Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

. 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. Other types of wine produced in the region are

Sauvignon blanc Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...

, Semillon,

Cabernet Sauvignon 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 Lebano ...

and

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

. New varieties of wine are also springing up, such as,

Arneis Arneis is a white Italian wine grape variety originating from Piedmont, Italy. It is most commonly found in the hills of the Roero, northwest of Alba, where it is part of the white ''Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita'' (DOCG) win ...

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu AOC, Condrieu in the Rhone Valley (wine), Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', Third Edition, p. 754, Oxford Univers ...

Tempranillo Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del País in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in it ...

Sangiovese Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

and

Tannat Tannat is a red wine grape, historically grown in South West France in the Madiran AOC, and is now one of the most prominent grapes in Uruguay, where it is considered the "national grape". Tannat is also grown in Argentina, Australia, Brazi ...

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. 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.

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.

References

{{Wine regions of New South Wales Wine regions of New South Wales City of Shoalhaven