[July 28, 2022 - Murphys, CA] Calaveras Winegrape Alliance Education & Events Manager, Mark Silverstone, brings you this bi-weekly spotlight series to educate and inspire! Of the 52 varieties of grapes grown in Calaveras county (going from A to Z), second up is Alicante Bouschet. The phonetic spelling of alicante bouschet is a-li-cante bous-chet. This grape has been widely cultivated since 1866, originating in southern France. It came into existence by careful and deliberate breeding. The goal was to create a grape that had high color intensity, productivity and fruitiness. A botanist named Henri Bouschet achieved this in the mid-1800’s by crossing fruity Grenache (known as Alicante in southern France) with a teinturier grape developed by his dad called Petit Bouschet. Teinturier grapes come from the French word for dye – Alicante Bouschet grapes have red flesh (the norm being clear), which is a rarity in the wine world. Be prepared for a bold lush wine and the potential for purple teeth!
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