Alicante Bouschet
[al-eh-KAN-tay (Fr. Ah-lee-KAHNT) boo-SHAY] Frenchman Louis Bouschet de Bernard and his son Henri created this prolific hybrid vine that produces intensely colored, red-fleshed grapes. They developed Alicante Bouschet in 1866 by crossing grenache and Petit Bouschet (the latter variety a cross of Teinturier du Cher and aramon). By itself, the Alicante Bouschet grape produces wines that are decidedly unexciting. It's cultivated mainly to add color to wines made from less vivid varieties. This grape is widely planted in the midi region of southern France, Spain, and North Africa. It was quite popular in California during prohibition (for use by home winemakers), where there are still a number of acres planted, mainly in the central valley. This grape is sometimes simply called Alicante, but shouldn't be confused with the alicante do wines of southeastern Spain. Nor should it be confused with the wine called Bouchet, which is the name sometimes used for cabernet franc in bordeaux's saint-émilion. In parts of Spain it's called Garnacha Tintorera.
