Alicante Bouschet

Alicante BouschetorAlicante Henri Bouschetis awinegrapevariety that has been widely cultivated since 1866. It is acrossofPetit Bouschet(itself a cross of the very old varietyTeinturier du CherandAramon) andGrenache.Alicante is ateinturier, a grape with red flesh. It is one of the fewteinturiergrapes that belong to theVitis viniferaspecies. Its deep colour makes it useful for blending with light red wine.  It was planted heavily duringProhibitioninCaliforniafor export to theEast Coast.  Its thick skin made it resistant to rot during the transportation process. The intense red color was also helpful for stretching the wine during prohibition, as it could be diluted without detracting from the appearance. At the turn of the 21st century, Alicante Bouschet was the 12th most planted red wine grape in France with sizable plantings in theLanguedoc,ProvenceandCognacregions.In 1958, Alicante Bouschet covered 24,168 hectares (mainly across southern France); by 2011, plantings represented less than 4,000 hectares. This scenario is largely reversed in other regions of Europe, and in southern Portugal, where its wines are highly prized and frequently outscore traditional autochthonous varieties.
The grape was first cultivated in France in 1866 byHenri Bouschetas acrossofPetit BouschetandGrenache. The Petit Bouschet grape was created by his father Louis Bouschet. The result was to produce a grape with deep color and of higher quality than the Teinturier du Cher. Several varieties of Alicante Bouschet were produced of varying quality. The grape's highyieldsand easy maintenance encouraged its popularity amongFrench winegrowers, especially in the years following thePhylloxera epidemic. By the end of the 19th century there were Alicante Bouschet plantings inBordeaux,Burgundy,Loire ValleyandAlentejo, Portugal
The grape was widely popular in the United States during the years ofProhibition. Grape growers in California'sCentral Valleyfound that its pulp was so fleshy and juicy thatfermentablejuice could be retrieved even after the thirdpressing. In contrast, wines made from grapes likeChardonnayandMerlottypically only include the juice from the free run (before pressing) and first or second pressing. The grape's thick skin also meant that it could survive the long railway transportation from California toNew York City'sPennsylvania Stationwhich had auction rooms where the grapes were sold.
The superior transportability of this variety was significant because of a ruling by theInternal Revenue Serviceon July 25, 1920, in connection with original wording in theVolstead Act, which allowed up to 200 gallons of home-made wine per year, per household, for consumption in the home only.  In 1928, one single auction lot of 225carloadsof grapes were purchased by a single buyer. The amount of grapes was enough to make more than 2,000,000 US gallons (7,600,000 L) of wine.
In France, the grape was historically a blending partner with Aramon but in recent times has been made more into its ownvarietal.  However, planting of new vines has steadily declined. In some areas of France the grape is nowextinct. According to international wine guru andMaster of Wine,Jancis Robinson, Alicante Bouschet is thought to have found its true home in Portugal'sAlentejowhere it was first planted at Herdade do Mouchão in the late 1800s. Widely planted across theAlentejo wine regiontoday (having grown exponentially in popularity from the late 1990s) it is frequently expensive, surpassing the quality and personality of other noble varieties. These top-end wines are prized for their 'size', dense colour andphenoliccontent. InChilethe grape is blended withCabernet Sauvignonand to make concentrated varietal wines. In California the grape was popular among home winemakers during Prohibition and still grown today inNapa,Sonoma,Madera, andCalaverascounties. Otherareaswith notable Alicante Bouschet plantings includeAlgeria,Palestineand parts of central and southernItaly.
In Spain Alicante Bouschet is calledgarnacha tintoreraornegraland it is the fifth most planted red grape variety in with 22,572 ha (55,776 acres) grown in 2015.
Recognized by many today as a noble red variety (particularly in southern Iberia), Alicante Bouschet is known for its deep dark color, more than 15 times the color of Aramon and twice the darkness of theGrand Noir de la Calmette. Under specific conditions, the grape can produce high yields of up to 80hl/ha. It buds and ripens early-to-mid season to produce wines high in alcohol, particularly where jamminess is valued and extended 'hang-time' is practiced. The wines tend to be short on primary aromas and can lack character and complexity when young. Alicante Bouschet performs best under specific conditions and where tertiary aromas are allowed to predominate through ageing. Thegrape vineis thought to be prone togrape diseaseslikeanthracnose,downy mildewand occasionally bunch rots in rare instances where bunches are tight at harvest.Alicante Bouschet leaves turn a beautiful purple hue in late autumn.
Alicante Bouschet is also known under the synonyms Alicant de Pays, Alicante, Alicante Bouchet, Alicante Bouschet 2, Alicante Extra Fertile, Alicante Femminello, Alicante H. Boushet, Alicante Henri Bouschet, Alicante Nero, Alicante Noir, Alicante Tinto, Alicantina, Alikant Buse, Alikant Buse Bojadiser, Alikant Bushe, Alikant Bushe Ekstrafertil, Alikant Bushe Nr. 2, Alikant Genri Bushe, Alikante Henri Bouschet, Aragonais, Aragones, Arrenaou, Baga, Bakir Uezuemue, Barvarica, Blasco, Bojadiserka, Carignan Jaune, Cupper Grape, Dalmatinka, Garnacha, Garnacha Tintorera, Lhadoner, Kambuša, Moraton, Mouraton, Murviedro, Negral, Pe de Perdiz, Pe de Pombo, Petit Bouschet, Redondal, Rivesaltes, Rivos Altos, Roussillon, Rouvaillard, Sumo Tinto, Tinta Fina, Tinta Francesa, Tinto, Tinto Nero, Tinto Velasco, Tintorera, Tintorera de Liria, Tintorera de Longares, Tinturao, and Uva di Spagna.
Alibernet- crossing of Alicante Bouschet xCabernet Sauvignonwas bred in 1950 in the Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute for Wine and Vines inOdessa. It is planted inSlovakia,Hungaryand theCzech Republic.
Lusitano - Alicante Bouschet is thought to be a parent of this rare Portuguese grape having been crossed with Castelão (aka Periquita)
"Roger's Red" — Prized for its scarlet-crimson fall leaf color, this naturally occurring hybrid ofVitis californicaandVitis vinifera, "Alicante Bouschet" was discovered in Sonoma County, California, in 1983 by Roger Raiche. It is widely propagated and sold in nurseries.Genetic testingat the University of California, Davis, confirmed its hybrid status, not a natural variant of the native California grape.