Baco Noir is a highly acidic and deeply colour wine. Often low in tannin content, sometimes said to have a herbaceous taste. Light to medium-bodied, it blends well with varieties of less colour. Only 12 acres of Baco Noir grows in BC, representing only 0.1% of the total wine acreage.
BC Wineries Producing Baco Noir
The only wineries selling 100% Baco Noir in British Columbia are Ancient Hill Winery and Summerhill Pyramid Winery. I have tried many of the Ancient Hill vintages and it is a superb wine. The Baco Noir is a gorgeous bold red colour. The wine has ripe flavours of blueberry and plum with a hint of mocha and a spicy sweetness on the otherwise dry finish. The winery only makes about 140 cases. See my post for details – Ancient Hill for Baco Noir and Jazz
Grape History
The short story is that in the 1880s the American root louse called phylloxera devastated all of Europe’s vineyards. The native European grapevine, Vitis vinifera, had no inborn resistance to this sap-sucking louse –which slowly killed the vines. American grapevines, however, did have an inborn resistance.
Growers everywhere in Europe, nowhere more so than in France, were desperate to find or create vines that could resist phylloxera. For decades, starting in the 1880s, researchers experimented with crossing varieties of Vitis vinifera with various American grape varieties. One of these researchers was Francois Baco (1865-1947). A son of winegrowers who lived in the town of Belus, near the famous Armagnac zone in southwest France.
Although Baco’s day job was as a schoolteacher, his passion was grapevines. For decades he laboriously tried numerous crossings of Vitis vinifera varieties with American species. In 1902, Baco released just such a hybrid, a red grape originally called Baco 1. Today it is known as Baco Noir, a cross between a local white grape Folle Blanche and an unknown American red variety. Folle Blanche is used for the brandies made in Cognac and Armagnac.
Eventually, the French decided to spurn these hybrids, preferring instead to simply graft American rootstocks onto their own European varieties. But Baco Noir made such a tasty red wine, and was so unusually resistant to frigid winter weather, that Baco’s creation now is planted in the Midwest and the East (where cold winters are a problem) as well as in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Ontario.
Ontario wineries that produce Baco Noir wines include – Henry of Pelham, Peller Estates, Pelee Island Winery and Sandbanks Estate Winery.
What food goes with Baco Noir?
Barbecued meat, a variety of strong cheeses and cured meats and strawberries rolled in black pepper. The fruitiness of the wine makes it a perfect match for grilled lamb kebabs. Because of its high acidity, Baco Noir wine is excellent with tomato sauce-based dishes. Any sort of rich meaty tomato-based sauce spread on grilled meats, or part of a hearty pasta dish.
BC 100% Baco Noirs
Ancient Hill Baco Noir 2018 ($26)
A superb wine. The wine is a gorgeous bold red colour and ripe flavours of black cherry, plum, spicy, chocolate, vanilla and butterscotch on the nose. Soft but rich mouthfeel with powerful flavours.
Summerhill Pyramid Heritage Series Organic Baco Noir 2018 ($29)
Aged in neutral oak for 11 months. Deep red with balanced acidity and intense flavours. Very smooth and hearty with notes of chocolate, tobacco, blackberry, black currant, and integrated oak.