Alicante Bouschet - One of many autochthonous grape varieties in Portugal
A blend of Grenache and Petit Bouschet, bred by Henri Bouschet.
The red grape variety is often used as a cuvée partner to exploit its intense colour. Alicante Bouschet is used in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. When the grape is processed as a single variety, the wines are often characterised by a high alcohol content, somewhat rough, robust fruit and deep colour.
Alicante Bouschet
- Terras de Alter Vinhos
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Alentejano
- Alicante Bouschet
Content: 0.75 Liter (€11.87* / 1 Liter)
Portada Tinto Medium Sweet
- DFJ Vinhos
- Red wine
- Portugal - Lisboa
- Tinta Roriz
Content: 0.75 Liter (€8.73* / 1 Liter)
EA Tinto
- Cartuxa
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Alentejano
- Castelão Frances
- Jahrgang 2019: Robert Parker: 86 Punkte
Content: 0.75 Liter (€8.33* / 1 Liter)
Tinto
- Fitapreta Vinhos
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Alentejano
- Trincadeira
- Jahrgang 2018: Robert Parker: 89 Punkte
Content: 0.75 Liter (€22.60* / 1 Liter)
Dona Maria Tinto
- Julio Bastos - Dona Maria Vinhos
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Alentejo
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Professional check (91 / 100)
Content: 0.75 Liter (€19.93* / 1 Liter)
Alicante Bouschet Reserva
- Casa Ermelinda Freitas
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Peninsula de Setubal
- Alicante Bouschet
- Vintage 2019: Robert Parker: 89 points
Content: 0.75 Liter (€18.60* / 1 Liter)
Scala Coeli Reserva Tinto Alicante Bouschet
- Cartuxa
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Alentejo
- Alicante Bouschet
Content: 0.75 Liter (€160.00* / 1 Liter)
Portada Tinto Medium Sweet
- DFJ Vinhos
- Red wine
- Portugal - Lisboa
- Tinta Roriz
Content: 0.75 Liter (€8.73* / 1 Liter)
Dona Maria Grande Reserva Tinto
- Julio Bastos - Dona Maria Vinhos
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Alentejo - Estremoz
- Touriga Nacional
Content: 0.75 Liter (€60.00* / 1 Liter)
Dona Maria Grande Reserva Tinto Magnum
- Julio Bastos - Dona Maria Vinhos
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Alentejo
- Shiraz/Syrah
Content: 1.5 Liter (€50.00* / 1 Liter)
Nastergal Red Blend
- Thistle and Weed
- Red wine - dry
- South Africa - Stellenbosch
- Touriga Franca
- John Platter: 5 Sterne / 95 Punkte
- Tim Atkin 2025: 95 Punkte
- Winemagazine South Africa 2025: 92 Punkte
Content: 0.75 Liter (€31.87* / 1 Liter)
Cartuxa Colheita Tinto Magnum
- Cartuxa
- Red wine - dry
- Portugal - Alentejo
- Castelão
- Jahrgang 2015: Mundus Vini 2019: Goldmedaille
- Proficheck Ausgezeichnet (90/100)
Content: 1.5 Liter (€40.00* / 1 Liter)
Profiles
Alicante Bouschet is a full-bodied wine with a rather subtle acidity. This makes it an excellent blending partner in fine red wine cuvées. Typical of Alicante Bouschet wine is its high alcohol content, somewhat rough, robust fruit and deep red colour.
Flavours
Alicante Bouschet vines produce wines with aromas of black cherry and plum. The red to dense black berries also produce wines with balsamic and mineral notes, with floral hints of rose petals and spicy flavours of black pepper and clove. There are also hints of coffee and fine earthy-mineral notes.
Dominant notes:
- Dried strawberry
- Grilled plum
- Red grapefruit
- Leather
- Liquorice
Possible notes:
- Herbs/flowers: hibiscus, lavender, eucalyptus, liquorice, rosemary, juniper, clove, black pepper, black tea
- Citrus: pink grapefruit, orange peel
- Red fruit: raspberry sauce, maraschino cherry, dried strawberry
- Dark fruit: blackberry, roasted plum
- Dried fruit: prune, fig
- Earth/Other: Clay pot, leather, crushed gravel
- Secondary notes: Cream
- Aged in oak: chocolate, vanilla, cake base
Harmonises with
Whether single-varietal or as a fine red wine cuvée, Alicante Bouschet harmonises best with hot and spicy food and goes particularly well with blue fish, mature cheese, poultry and meat paella.
General information
Alicante Bouschet is just one of over 60 names given to the red grape variety, depending on the country of cultivation. And it does not come from the Spanish harbour town of Alicante on the Mediterranean, as the name suggests, but was bred in France in 1855 and 1865 by Henri Bouschet from Grenache and Petit Bouschet vines. The two varieties Alicante Bouschet or Alicante Henri Bouschet were created with the aim of obtaining a grape with as much colour as possible. The endeavour was a success. The flesh of the Alicante Bouschet is deep red, the grape produces very dark wine and is used in blends as a colouring grape.
Today, Alicante Bouschet is mainly cultivated in South Africa, France, Italy, Argentina, Chile, the USA and Spain. Other important growing regions are the Portuguese Alentejo and California. Around 36,000 hectares of vineyards are planted with Alicante Bouschet, putting it in 24th place in the global grape variety ranking.
For decades, the Alicante Bouschet grape variety was considered inferior and was often only used as a source of colour for cuvées. Recently, renowned winegrowers have proven that Alicante Bouschet can also produce high-quality, single-varietal wines. However, single-varietal wines are still rare, as they often suffer from a lack of acidity. As a result, Alicante Bouschet wines are still predominantly used as part of a dry red wine cuvée.
Thanks to its good yields and undemanding nature, the Alicante Bouschet is no longer only popular with French winegrowers, where it has been increasingly cultivated again, especially after the phylloxera catastrophe. Occasionally, Alicante Bouschet is cultivated and fermented together with the less colourful but aromatic Aramon Noir variety, as was previously the case in French vineyards.
An interesting fact: Alicante Bouschet was very popular in the USA during Prohibition. The reason was obvious: the grapes are not only extremely high-yielding, but can also be transported very easily due to their thick skin. This made it possible to produce wine even in places where it was not possible to grow one's own vines. This led American companies and hobby cellar masters to produce their own wine all over the country.