There it was last February on the wine list at Roy's on Oahu, a Chambourcin sparkling wine from Australia. I'm an East Coast person, which is primarily where Chambourcin is produced and sold in the United States and I've had a few Chambourcins in my time, an eight year old from Naylor in Pennsylvania being the most memorable, but never a bubbly version. It is interesting to see what the Aussies are doing with a grape that French hybridizers developed but which you don't hear much about anymore.

The sparkler from d'Arenberg of McLaren Vale, intriguingly named Peppermint Paddock, made no claims to sophistication and focused on giving pleasure. It was a deep purple, raspberry flavored bubbly that brought smiles to the faces of everyone in my party. Between the raspberry and cinnamon and sarsaparilla flavors and its deep purple mousse, it was striking, something to enjoy visually, on the nose and on the palate. It started me thinking about what had happened to an attractive grape that really had not cracked the big time.

Chambourcin, originally named Johannes Seyve 26-205 after its developer Joannes Seyve, was released in 1963. Seyve died, leaving no documentation of its parentage and there are still questions about its true origins, but it is most likely based on the better Seibel hybrids and may involve as many as eight American Vitis species. Chambourcin is a monoglucocite, which means that, despite being a French-American hybrid, it would be difficult to determine if it were slipped into a vinifera blend.

French Hybrids in France A hybrid is the progeny of two different species. For grapes, the parents usually are European wine-grape,Vitis vinifera, and at least one species of American grape. The most important American grape species for the production of hybrid-grapes include Vitis aestivalis, V. berlandieri, V. riparia, and V. rupestris. Hybridization should not be confused with the cross-breeding of Vitis vinifera cultivars to produce new varieties like Müller Thurgau, Portan, Symphony, or Ruby Cabernet. These are often call "crossings" in order to differentiate them from the various hybrids.   The hybridization of Vitis vinifera with American grape species seems to have occurred in several stages.   The first were the "accidental" hybrids of which Alexander is the earliest known example.   Other "accidental" hybrids include such grape varieties as Catawba and Delaware.   Niagara is an example of the next round of grape hybrids in which the hybrids were produced by intentional crossbreeding. The so-called French hybrids (also called French-American hybrids) represent the third wave grape hybridization.   The French hybrids were produced in an attempt to find a solution to the destruction wrecked upon the European wine-industry by the Phylloxera root-louse.   As such, the French hybrids were reasonably successful. By the mid-1950s, hybrids were planted in about a third of France's total vineyard acreage. This situation did not remain stable, however, as the use of grafted rootstock was eventually deemed a better solution to Phylloxera infestation. The most "American" or foxy tasting hybrids were outlawed in France in 1934.   In 1955, and again in 1984, the French AOC began actively discouraging new plantings of all "inferior" grape varieties.   According to the AOC, most, if not all, of the French hybrids fall under that definition and thus can be used only in the lowest grades of French wine. There remains a short list of authorized French hybrids which merely reflects surviving plantings of the least noticeably "foxy" hybrids.   In addition to Chambourcin, French hybrids still grown in France include Baco 1 (AKA Baco Noir), Baco 22A (mainly in Armagnac), Seyval Blanc, Chancellor, and Rayon d'Or, though some others continue to survive.           wbm

Easy to grow and a predictable high yielder, Chambourcin has become a favorite of growers in the Middle-Atlantic States. It is winter hardy to the extent that it can withstand cold temperatures, but not for prolonged periods, thus becoming unacceptable in upstate New York's frigid Finger Lakes. It ripens late and in good seasons 23.5 brix is not rare. It was introduced on the East Coast in the early 1960's, but did not have any appreciable growth until the mid 1970's when an Ohio winery first made it as a varietal. It's estimated that there are now more than 800 acres under cultivation in theUnited States and nursery operators report a two-year wait for vines.

The grape did not show up in Australia until the late 1970's and was first planted in 1981 at Cassegrain Winery in the Hastings River Valley region of New South Wales. Cassegrain's initial bottling in 1985 was blended with Pinot Noir. The winery now raises organic grapes and currently makes a reserve version of Chambourcin with a heavy dose of new oak. At present, Cassegrain is not exported to the United States.

Carl Haeseler, Professor of Pomology at Pennsylvania State University, reported that the grape grows best on deep, well-drained soils. In a six-year test at Penn State research fields, Chambourcin averaged seven tons per acre. The grape is popular in southern Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, the Lake Erie region of Ohio and Pennsylvania, Maryland, the Carolinas, Missouri, Virginia and southwest Michigan. In the warmer states of the mid-Atlantic, Chambourcin produces an intense dark wine, but its peppery flavors and color intensity decline in states with extended summers, such as North and South Carolina.

Chambourcin is extremely versatile, strong on its own, great in a blend, zestful as a sparkler and serious as a port. "It's a grape with a lot of color and an assertive flavor, different from other red varieties," says consultant Steve Shepherd. "It's not as heavy or robust as Cabernet or Merlot, and that makes it more attractive to a lot of people, who have trouble drinking red wine," he asserts.

Shepherd, who is now developing Raylen Vineyards in Mocksville, N.C., likes to tell of attending a Caymus tasting in Hickory, N.C., where he induced Chuck Wagner of Caymus to sample his Chambourcin. Wagner, he says, observed he wasn't aware that North Carolina was producing wines of such quality, and Shepherd invited him to visit the winery whenever he was in the area. Wagner showed up unexpectedly the next morning, and said he'd been thinking all night about Chambourcin and wanted to learn more about it. "We showed him around and gave him a complete sampling," Shepherd continues, " and he praised all our wines, but advised us to tear out everything except Chambourcin. There's an ocean of Cab and Merlot and Chardonnay out there, but you've got something unique here and you should run with it. I might even consider planting some myself, " Shepherd quotes Wagner as saying

While it is a heavy producer, quality growers aim for smaller, more concentrated yields. At Hanover Park Vineyard in the Piedmont district of North Carolina, owner Mike Helton says he shoots for about three tons per acre. Chambourcin is a popular grape in the region, Helton says, and one without many problems as a vine. It has loose clusters, which are a good defense against humidity, which can be a problem on the East Coast. "The grape has tremendous color, just fantastic and you often find winemakers," Helton says, "adding five percent Chambourcin to beef up a weak Cabernet or Merlot."

Dick Naylor at Naylor Wine Cellars in southern Pennsylvania says, "the vine doesn't like our soil, but because it is under stress, it produces fabulous grapes. You have to match the rootstocks with the sites and what we have now is deep rooted and green all year. The fruit quality is tremendous. We're getting 23.5 brix from three year-old vines." With seven acres under cultivation, Naylor has one of the largest Chambourcin plantings in the East. He raves over the grape, declaring "It will age as well as any Cabernet. Our '85 has still got time before it peaks, and it was the first of a string of good years, particularly '91, '93, '95, '97 and '98. All six were very dry and Chambourcin just loves that kind of weather." The '99 vintage, however, draws even greater praise from Naylor, who describes it as: "the most excellent crop of Chambourcin we have ever grown."

Naylor produces a basic Chambourcin, wood-aged for about a year and a half in American oak for about 18 months and a reserve that matures in oak for two years. He also makes a Grand Reserve Seductivo in a Spanish style. He ages it three years in barrel and an additional year in a unique modified Bordeaux punted bottle before release. The wine starts out in French wood and finishes in 130-gallon American oak butts coopered for him in Spain. Seductivo retails at $29.95 for the '95 vintage, but much of it is sold on futures at $18.75 to members of his case club who put up 75 percent of the purchase price a year before they see the wine. He also makes a fortified, port-style Essence of Chambourcin, which retails at $15.95 for a 500ml bottle.

Chambourcin is often compared to Merlot for its softness and to Shiraz for its spicy a