Homemade wine has often been frowned upon among vinophiles, but during Prohibition, it was one of the few legal options for Americans, who could consume about two-and-a-half bottles per household per day under the Volstead Act. The grape of choice for amateur winemakers was alicante bouschet, a teinturier variety with deeply colored pulp and skin, producing nearly black wines. Despite its intense color, the wine was described as “truly lousy” by Daniel Okrent in his 2011 history of Prohibition, “Last Call.”
After Prohibition, alicante bouschet fell out of favor and was excluded from France’s official list of approved grapes in 1937. However, teinturier grapes and the dark wines they produce are experiencing a resurgence. Trendsetters in the natural wine world, such as Manhattan’s Chambers restaurant, are beginning to feature these inky wines, prompting the question: Is black wine the new orange?
In Spain and Portugal, alicante bouschet never completely lost its appeal, often used to enhance the color of lighter wines. Recently, Iberian winemakers have begun to appreciate its other qualities. Spanish label Envinate produces Albahra, a blend of 70% alicante bouschet (garnacha tintorera) and 30% moravia agria. This blend balances the ripe fruitiness of tintorera with the acidity of moravia agria. In Portugal’s Alentejo region, wineries like Ode are exploring single varietals that highlight alicante bouschet’s dark plum and berry notes.
In California, where alicante bouschet was largely abandoned post-Prohibition, winemaker Raj Parr is reviving the grape. His Scythians Red includes alicante bouschet sourced from an old vineyard near Ontario airport. “It looked more like a graveyard of vines than a vineyard,” Parr recalls.
Teinturier grapes are rare among Vitis vinifera, the classic European grape species, but common among Vitis riparia, native to America. While Vitis riparia grapes are often too sour for consumption, they are hardy and disease-resistant. Peter Hemstad, a grape breeder from the University of Minnesota, introduced the hybrid frontenac in 1996. This grape, with its intense pigmentation and resistance to cold, has become a cornerstone of the organic wine scene in the northeast. Deirdre Heekin of La Garagista in Vermont uses frontenac for her Loups-Garoux wine, harvesting the grapes when half are raisinated to concentrate the sugar.
Saperavi, another teinturier grape, produces wines so dark they are sometimes called “black wine” in Georgia, where the grape originates. Ukrainian viticulturist Konstantin Frank introduced saperavi to New York’s Finger Lakes region in the early 1960s. Despite being virtually unknown in the U.S. until 2014, when it was officially recognized by the Tax and Trade Bureau, saperavi has been gaining popularity. Lasha Tsatava, beverage director at Chama Mama in New York City, offers saperavi tastings showcasing its versatility. Tsatava, a co-founder of Saperica, a nonprofit promoting Georgian food and wine, hopes that saperavi will become a signature wine of the Finger Lakes alongside riesling.
As natural wine enthusiasts and innovative winemakers continue to explore the potential of these deeply pigmented grapes, black wine may indeed be on its way to becoming the new orange.
