Wine Grapes: Carignans

Alicante Bouschet

Pronunciation: ah-leh-cant boo-shay

First cultivated at Domaine de la Calmette in Maugio, Southern France in 1855, Henri Bouchet created this cross variety of Grenache and Petit Bouschet (Aramon Noir x Teintutier) amongst many others. The variety is part of the Vitis Vinifera species and is a tenturier or Red-fleshed berries. 

Alicante yields soft, fruity wines and is being used as a blend to dye and darken light red wines. Compares to France, Spain has greater lands for this variety known to them as Garnacha Tintorera sizing to 22,251 ha recorded in 2008. Other than the two given countries, Alicante's popularity is also increasing in Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Hungary, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia, Israel, North Africa, California Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.