History of French wine of Aquitaine and the future King Henry II of England brought a large portion of southwest France under English rule. When Henry's son John inherited the English crown, he sought to curry favor among the Gascons by bestowing upon them many privileges-the most notable of which was an exemption among Bordeaux merchants from the Grand Coutume export tax. With this exemption and favored treatment in London, Bordeaux wine became the cheapest wine in the London market and gained immense popularity among the English, who call it claret. For over the next 300 years much of Gascony, particular Bordeaux, benefited by
Hastings River wine region Hastings River wine region Hastings River is an Australian Geographical Indication for a wine region in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales around the Hastings River near Wauchope and Port Macquarie.The region is within of the east coast of Australia, between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Dividing Range. The first vineyard was planted in 1837 by Henry Fancourt White. There were 33 vineyards by 1860, however these declined and there was no wine production between 1920 and 1980 when new vineyards began to be planted. The main styles produced now include Chardonnay, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot and Chambourcin.