Hastings River Region

Location
 Zone - Northern Rivers
State - New South Wales

Map Reference
 Latitude 31 degrees and 30 minutes South
Longitude 152 degrees and 53 minutes East

Elevation
 0 - 50 metres above sea level

Subregions
 Nil

Introduction
 Viticulture and winemaking in the region date back to 1837, when Henry Fancourt White planted the first vineyard. By the 1860's there were over 30 vineyards in the area. In 1980 and after 60 years of low-productivity the French-descended Cassegrain family decided to expand into real estate and associated viticulture and winery interests. In the process they pioneered new varieties and new ways of managing vineyards in the course of meeting the unique climatic challenges of the region, and have indirectly encouraged the development of other vineyards and wineries along the northern coast of New South Wales.
Primary Grape Varieties
White
 Chardonnay 45 ha
Semillon 25 ha
Sauvignon Blanc 10 ha
Verdelho 10 ha
Other 10 ha
Total White 100 ha
Red
 Chambourcin 35 ha
Pinot Noir 25 ha
Cabernet Sauvignon 25 ha
Merlot 20 ha
Shiraz 15 ha
Other 5 ha
Total Red 125 ha
Primary Wine Styles

Chardonnay
Chardonnay dominates plantings here in the similar fashion as it does in all newly established grape-growing regions in Australia. The style is rich, with generous sweet peach and a tropical fruit array. It matures fairly quickly, but the wines from drier vintages can keep hold of their peak for a number of years.

Semillon
The rain at the time of vintage combined with the thin skin of the grapes make it especially vulnerable, however the ability to produce excellent wine at lower sugar levels of around 10° baume assists significantly. Consequently early picking is the solution and the wines show many of the characters as those of the Hunter Valley do.

Chambourcin
This hybrid is strongly resistant to mildew, and for this reason has been planted in several New South Wales coastal regions. The intense purple colour of Chambourcin gives the wine an important use as a blend component when more colour is needed. The flavour of Chambourcin is prominent, black cherry and plum array in its youth, sometimes with a slight spicy overlay. As a young, fresh wine it is among the best examples of hybrids produced anywhere in the world.

Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir produces a light-coloured, quick-developing, earthy style wine and has frequently been blended with Chambourcin and other varieties to produce a varietally indistinct but pleasant dry red table wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Soft, quite fleshy wines with plentiful berry and earthy flavours. Merlot can be successfully made as a single varietal though sometimes performs better as a cross-regional blend.